CHRISTIANSTED — A convicted felon caught with a loaded firearm on the balcony of a St. Croix housing project will serve nearly five years in prison, authorities said.
Jahseen Simmonds, 30, of Estate Richmond, was sentenced to 51 months
imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release and $1,000 fine on the charge of felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Delia L. Smith said.
According to court documents, on September 3, 2020, Virgin Islands Police
officers were patrolling the John F. Kennedy Terrace housing community. As they
approached Building 29, officers observed a group of male individuals sitting in
the archway of the building. One of those individuals, later identified as
Simmonds, immediately ran up the stairs of the building and into an apartment
on the second floor. Officers knocked on the apartment door and Simmonds
exited the apartment and admitted to the officers that he did not live at that
address. Police again knocked on the door of the apartment and two residents
came to the door and stated that they did not give Simmonds permission to enter
their apartment. The residents later provided consent to search their apartment
and officers found a firearm on the balcony of the apartment. The residents
stated that the firearm was not on the balcony before Simmonds ran into their
apartment, and that the firearm did not belong to either of the residents.
An inspection of the firearm revealed that one live 9mm round was
chambered and 15 live 9mm rounds were in the magazine. Along with the
firearm, officers seized an extended magazine that was loaded with 31 live 9mm
rounds. Simmonds was previously convicted of a felony offense.
This case was investigated by the Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD) and
the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rhonda Williams-Henry.
