John McCarthy
CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A St. Thomas man was charged with illegal gun possession after a traffic stop yielded a firearm, the Virgin Islands Police Department said.
Chayanne Garth Baron, 24, was arrested and charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm, according to the VIPD.
The case began at 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, when officers with the Special Operations Bureau were conducting traffic enforcement on Emile Francis Memorial Drive, police said.
VIPD mug shot of Chayanne Garth Baron, 24, of St. Thomas.
Officers stopped Baron’s vehicle, a white Acura TSX due to the front windshield being fully tinted below the AS1 line and no license plate affixed to the front bumper, according to police.
Upon Baron rolling down his window, officers detected a very strong odor of marijuana emanating from inside the vehicle, police said.
A search of his vehicle was conducted for any other marijuana contraband, according to police.
During the search, “a Glock 43 pistol was found in a brown satchel inside of the vehicle,” VIPD spokeswoman Kishma Chichester said.
Baron admitted that the brown satchel belonged to him, and he does not have a license to posses a firearm in the U.S. Virgin Islands, according to Chichester.
Based on the officer’s findings, the suspect was immediately taken into official custody. He was read his Miranda Rights, booked and processed.
Bail for Baron was set at $50,000.00. Unable to post bail, he was remanded to the custody of the Bureau of Corrections at the St. Thomas jail.
