CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A dramatic moment in St. Thomas after a suspected impaired driver was tased when he assaulted officers after blowing through a police checkpoint with his vehicle.
Deslee Marius, 29, of St. Thomas, was arrested Tuesday and charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm, possession of ammunition, possession of a firearm within a 1,000 feet of a church/school, possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, delaying & obstructing, and aggravated assault and battery on a police officer, the Virgin Islands Police Department said.
Members of the Virgin Islands Police Department Operation Clean Sweep Task Force were conducting traffic enforcement on Hospital Line Road in the area of the Department of Human Services in Hospital Ground at 8:51 p.m. Tuesday, according to the VIPD..
At the checkpoint, officers detected a strong odor of marijuana emanating from a vehicle driven by Deslee Marius, police said.
“Marius was ordered to step out of his vehicle to which he refused,” VIPD Communications Officer Glen Dratte said. “He then attempted to put the car in drive and forced his vehicle through the check point. Officers were able to stop the vehicle and remove Marius.”
Upon exiting the vehicle, Marius, went into a rage and struck several officers before he was subdued by being tased, according to Dratte.
Marius was found in possession of crack/cocaine, marijuana, and an unlicensed firearm, the police spokesman added.
Bail for Marius was set at $150,000.00. Unable to post bail, he was remanded to the custody of the Bureau of Corrections pending an advice-of-rights hearing.
Of course the friends and family of the accused were not thrilled with the Virgin Islands Free Press‘ use of the word “pothead” in the article’s headline.
“You need to remove your latest article about the ‘pothead’ because you’ll be facing defamation lawsuits if you do not,” a poorly-informed Juli Mango said from Charlotte Amalie. “Your articles are trash. You have no idea who these peoples [sic] families are that your [sic] dragging through the mud.”