CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A St. Thomas man was charged after a routine traffic stop led to his arrest on gun and ammunition charges this weekend, authorities said.
Jason Lettsome was arrested Friday and charged with carrying of a firearm openly or concealed and possession of illegal ammunition, the Virgin Islands Police Department said.
The case began at 8:43 p.m. on November 8, 2024, when Special Operations Bureau (SOB) officers were on patrol on Veterans Drive and conducted a traffic stop on a white Acura RDX operating without a front license plate affixed to the front bumper., according to the VIPD.
VIPD mug shot of Jason Lettsome, 31, of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.
Officers initiated a traffic stop of the vehicle, which was being driven by Lettsome, police said.
As officers approached the SUV, they detected a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle and
observed a marijuana cigarette and residue in the ashtray of the vehicle in plain sight, according to police.
All occupants of the SUV were instructed to exit the vehicle for further investigation, police said.
Lettsome exited and while being patted down for officers’ safety, he was found to be in possession of a Smith & Wesson 380 firearm to which he was not licensed to carry, according to police.
The suspect was read his Miranda Rights, booked and processed. Bail for Lettsome was set at $25,000.00.
Unable to post bail, he was transferred to the custody of the Bureau of Corrections at the St. Thomas jail.
Lettsome is scheduled for an advice-of-rights hearing in Superior Court.
Drugs, cash recovered on Turpentine Road
In an unrelated incident, also on November 8th, SOB officers recovered over a pound and a half of marijuana and $286.00 in cash while conducting a vehicle inspection on Turpentine Road in the area of Brookman Market.
The marijuana was packaged and labeled for destruction and the cash was relinquished to the VIPD Property Division for safekeeping.
