By JOHN McCARTHY / V.I. Free Press News Reporter
CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A standard proactive traffic patrol on the Julian Jackson Highway escalated into a high-risk arrest on Friday evening after an unregistered vehicle stop revealed the operator was an active aggravated rape suspect violating a strict, court-mandated 24-hour home confinement order. The encounter further deteriorated when a routine computer verification revealed the vehicle’s registration sticker had been reported stolen from a separate neighborhood just days prior.
Unmarked Sector Patrol Identifies Double Plate Violation
The incident unfolded on Friday, June 26, 2026, at approximately 9:47 p.m. when Police Officer Delvin Duggins Jr., operating an unmarked Ford Ranger, was conducting a routine sector patrol heading eastward on Julian Jackson Highway near Lindberg Bay. Officer Woodley, traveling in tandem, radioed that he observed a black Acura TSX heading eastbound completely lacking a front license plate. Officer Duggins quickly observed that the identical vehicle also lacked a rear license plate on its bumper. Turning on departmental blue lights and sirens, officers initiated a traffic stop, prompting the operator to bring the Acura to a halt in the left eastbound lane of the highway just past the Contant storage facility. Approaching the driver’s side door, Officer Duggins instantly recognized the individual behind the wheel as Jahkeim Bourgeois.
Uninsured ‘Animal Friendly’ Vehicle Plagued by Stolen Sticker
When ordered to produce his driver’s license, vehicle registration, and active proof of insurance, Bourgeois claimed that he had just purchased the Acura TSX and had not yet registered or insured the asset. He provided a valid driver’s license and a bill of sale to prove ownership. Looking through the rear glass, investigators noticed an unattached Humane Society “animal-friendly” license plate sitting inside the vehicle. Bourgeois showed proof of ownership for the specialized plates, telling officers he had simply failed to visit the Bureau of Motor Vehicles to legally register them to the car. The entire cover story collapsed, however, when Officer Duggins inspected a July registration sticker affixed to the front windshield. A rapid radio verification check on the sticker number revealed that the registration tab had been officially reported stolen on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. Forensic database records subsequently proved the sticker was legally registered to a red 2012 Toyota RAV4 that had been pilfered from the Lindberg Bay area.
Weekend House Confinement Shattered by Nighttime Cruise
Bourgeois was immediately detained, advised of his Miranda rights, and secured inside a marked police cruiser for transport to the Richard Callwood Command booking room, where he chose to remain completely silent. A comprehensive background investigation quickly exposed why the suspect was attempting to move covertly across the district at night. Intelligence logs revealed that Bourgeois is currently under an open, active investigation for felony Aggravated Rape. Furthermore, a magistrate had placed Bourgeois under a strict, mandatory 24-hour weekend home confinement curfew. By operating an unregistered, uninsured vehicle on a public highway near Lindberg Bay at nearly 10:00 p.M. on a Friday night, Bourgeois had flagrantly shattered his judicial release agreements.
Massive Fifty-Thousand Dollar Bail Remands Suspect to Jail
Forensic Bureau Crime Scene Technician Boland booked and processed Bourgeois on an array of charges. Per Assistant Attorney General Brenda Scales’s formal court filings under Case No. ST-2026-CR-00159, Bourgeois faces six distinct counts: Possession of Stolen Property, Contempt of Court for the curfew violation, operating an Unregistered Vehicle, operating an Uninsured Vehicle, driving with No License Plate, and driving with No Sticker. Due to the severe nature of the contempt charge alongside his pending rape trial, bail was set at a substantial $25,000.00 cash. Unable to secure the funds, Bourgeois was remanded directly to the Bureau of Corrections at the St. Thomas jail.
According to C-Track Public Portal records, an Advice of Rights hearing was officially executed this morning, June 29, 2026, before Superior Court Judge Julie Smith Todman. Judge Smith Todman has formally scheduled the defendant’s felony arraignment for Friday morning, July 17, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. in the St. Thomas Magistrate Division, Room MG-3.