CHRISTIANSTED — A St. Croix repeat gun offender got a lighter sentence after pleading guilty to a lesser included charge — even though a traffic stop found illegal drugs and drug paraphernalia in his car.
Lionel Woodley, 36, of Peter’s Rest, appeared before U.S. District Court Judge Wilma A. Lewis on Thursday and was sentenced on the charge of felon in possession of firearm, U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert said.
Judge Lewis sentenced Woodley to a 56-month prison term, to be followed by three years of supervised release, a fine of $1,000, and a $100 special assessment.
According to court documents, on March 17, 2019, Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD) officers stopped the vehicle driven by Woodley at around 11:30 p.m. for failing to observe a stop sign and passing on a double yellow line.
During the traffic stop, VIPD officers noticed the odor of marijuana emanating from Woodley’s vehicle. The officers searched the vehicle and located a revolver in the center console, a bag on the front seat containing approximately 20 grams of marijuana, approximately seven grams of cocaine, along with $105.00, and a scale.
Police also found and seized $701 on Woodley’s person. Woodley did not have a license to possess the firearm and had previously been convicted of the felony offense of Attempted Robbery Second Degree by the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands.
The Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD) and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel H. Huston prosecuted the case.