CHRISTIANSTED — The president of a St. Croix construction company was arrested on DUI and drug charges after sideswiping an SUV and injuring the driver on Orange Grove Road early Saturday night, authorities said.
William “Ron” Carey, of Herman Hill, was arrested Saturday and charged with driving under the influence of an intoxicating liquor, negligent driving and simple possession, the Virgin Islands Police Department said.
Virgin Islands police say the collision occurred near Pueblo Golden Rock and Just Right Trucking on Orange Grove Road sometime before 7:12 p.m. on Saturday. Officers say driver of the at-fault pickup truck tried to leave the scene of the accident, according to eyewitnesses.
The driver of an unregistered black, four-door Jeep Wrangler told police that he was driving east to west on Orange Grove Road when he noticed Carey’s white pickup truck traveling in the middle of the road and veering toward his SUV, according to the probable cause fact sheet.
“(The motorist) stated that Mr. Carey sideswiped his vehicle and that caused him to swerve to the side of the road,” Superior Court documents show.
The driver of the black Jeep Wrangler was treated for injuries sustained in the crash by EMTs on the scene and later taken to the Juan F. Luis Hospital for further treatment, according to police. His medical condition is unknown. Carey declined medical attention.
People at the scene of the accident notified officers that Carey was trying to leave the crash scene, and police met with the suspect and asked him while he was sitting in his vehicle to turn off the engine and step out of the car, which he did, according to the probable cause fact sheet.
“Mr. Carey was observed staggering and holding on to his vehicle for support,” a sworn police affidavit states. “The area was not well-lit and traffic flow was heavy, therefore Mr. Carey was transported to a safe zone at the Ancilmo Marshall Command Police Station, where he was advised of his Miranda (Rights).”
The suspect was then interviewed by police and stated that he was also traveling east to west on Orange Grove Road when the driver of the black Jeep Wrangler stopped suddenly, causing him to crash into the rear of the SUV, according to the probable cause fact sheet.
“While interviewing Mr. Carey, his eyes were red and watery and I smelled a strong odor of what appeared to be alcohol coming from his breath and his person,” the sworn VIPD affidavit states. “I also observed him staggering while walking; therefore, I asked Mr. Carey if he consumed any alcoholic beverages.”
Carey told the officer that he consumed “three small cups of Cruzan Rum mixed with Cokes at approximately 2:30 p.m.” Saturday, Superior Court documents show. Asked if he were taking any form of medication, the suspect replied: “No.”
Police then conducted three standard field sobriety tests on Carey — and he failed each one of them, according to the probable cause fact sheet.
“The chemical test of Mr. Carey’s breath was performed … and revealed that his Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) was 0.228 percent which was above the legal limit,” a sworn VIPD affidavit states.
For officers’ safety, a pat down search was performed on the suspect, according to the probable cause fact sheet.
“I felt a hard object in his pocket,” Superior Court documents show. “The hard object, which was discovered to be one small clear vial that contained several small pieces of a white rock-like substance that appeared to be crack cocaine, was removed from Mr. Carey’s left front pants pocket. I asked Mr. Carey what was in the small vial, at which time he stated: ‘I do not know.'”
An investigation found that operator of the 2008 black 4DR Jeep Wrangler was traveling from east to west in the westbound lane when Carey’s white 2022 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck, traveling from west to east in the eastbound lane, crossed into the black SUV’s lane of travel, sideswiping the motorist and knocking his car onto the shoulder of the road, according to the probable cause fact sheet.
“The evidence also indicated that Mr. Carey’s vehicle impacted the left quarter panel of (the SUV driver’s) vehicle,” the sworn VIPD affidavit states.
Police forensics field tested the white rock-like substance and it came back positive for the presence of cocaine, Superior Court documents show.
“The cocaine’s gross weight was 91 grams,” the VIPD forensics technician attested in the sworn affidavit.
Bail for Carey was set at $1,000 as per chart. Police gave the suspect a subpoena to appear for an advice-of-rights hearing in Superior Court yesterday morning and allowed him to surrender his valid Virgin Islands driver’s license in lieu of bail.
“The defendant has a criminal record, which includes but is not limited to the following,” according to the probable cause fact sheet. Carey’s criminal record was not in the information obtained by the Virgin Islands Free Press.
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