KINGSHILL — A St. Croix man has pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm inside a school zone, authorities said.
Jimmar A. Payne, 31, of Estate White Lady, made that plea to Magistrate Judge Emile A. Henderson
III, in U.S. District Court, U.S. Attorney Delia L. Smith said.
Payne’s sentencing is scheduled for December 12, 2024, when Payne faces a maximum sentence of five years incarceration. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
VIPD mug shot of Jimmar A. Payne, 31, of Estate White Lady in St. Croix.
According to court documents, on January 29, 2023, Virgin Islands Police Department
officers conducted a traffic stop of Payne’s vehicle on the Melvin Evans Highway in the vicinity of
the Ricardo Richards Elementary School for failure to display a visible rear license plate.
Officers later observed a handgun protruding from under the driver’s seat of Payne’s vehicle. Payne did not have a license to possess the firearm.
In March of 2022, Payne was one of two boat owners who gave a false name to National Park Rangers who cited them for violations near Buck Island Reef National Monument, U.S. District Court documents show.
At that time, Payne was charged with two counts of making materially false statements, two counts of violating activity restrictions in a National Park, interfering with agency functions, and operating an unnumbered motor boat.
The charges stem from an incident that occurred at around 2 p.m. on March 13 when National Park Service rangers on patrol on the west side of Buck Island saw vessels named “Only Fans” and “Wrong News,” within the 12-foot minimum distance from other vessels, according to an affidavit filed by a ranger.
The patrol vessel is eight-and-a-half feet wide, and could not fit alongside the boats. Rangers activated their lights and sirens and ordered the captain or owner of the vessels to step forward, according to the affidavit.
The individuals on board the vessels initially ignored lawful commands for the captains to step forward, and John B. Samuel III and Payne finally stepped forward and acknowledged law enforcement officers, according to the affidavit.
Samuel identified himself as “Mike Larry,” and Payne identified himself as “Raheem Jackson,” and the rangers issued them citations under those names, according to the affidavit.
The current case was investigated by the Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD) and High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Task Force. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Huston.
This case is part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative.
Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, local and
tribal law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and community leaders to identify the most pressing
violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. For
more information on the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods, please see:
https://www.justice.gov/psn.