CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A man is facing criminal charges after he allegedly led police on a high-speed through streets on the downtown St. Thomas waterfront late Sunday afternoon.
Patrol and Special Operation Bureau officers were conducting traffic enforcement on Turpentine Road at 5:51 p.m. when the driver of a white Chevy Malibu was observed not wearing his seatbelt, the Virgin Islands Police Department said.
An officer approached the vehicle to advise the operator to wear his seatbelt, but while doing so, the operator of the white Chevy Malibu made an illegal U-turn on Turpentine Road and started accelerating at a high rate of speed, according to the VIPD.
VIPD mug shot of Kenneth Rogers, age unknown, of St. Thomas.
“Officers attempted to conduct an inspection of the vehicle in the Havensight area, however the
operator of the white Chevy Malibu ignored the marked police unit’s blue lights and sirens
and kept driving at a high rate of speed through the Veterans Drive area,” VIPD spokeswoman Kishma Chichester said.
“As the white Chevy Malibu continued on Moravian Highway, the driver collided with three vehicles and then three more vehicles on Julian Jackson Drive,” according to Chichester.
As the vehicle came to a stop, a black male wearing a yellow shirt and navy-blue shorts
opened the passenger door and fled in an unknown direction. she said.
“The officers on scene conducted an inspection in the area for the male to no avail,” Chichester said. “Detectives were able to detain the driver of the white Chevy Malibu without incident.”
Kenneth Rogers, age unknown, was transported to Richard N. Callwood Command where he was advised of his Miranda rights and was placed under arrest for reckless endangerment, according to police.
Rogers was booked and processed at the Alexander A. Farrelly Criminal Justice Complex.
Bail for Rogers was set at $30,000.00. Unable to post bail, he was remanded to the custody of the Bureau of Corrections at the St. Thomas jail pending an advice-of-rights hearing.