CHARLOTTE AMALIE — The St. Thomas man who allegedly brandished a shotgun during a jewelry robbery by three men in September made his first appearance in federal court, authorities said.
Tashawn T.A. “Tashy” Warner was arrested Friday for his role in the September 19 Gems & Gold Corner store robbery, U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert said.
Warner heard the formal charges against him which include — carrying a firearm during a crime of violence, aiding and abetting, and Hobbs Act robbery — from U.S. Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller on Friday afternoon.
A detention hearing is scheduled for Warner tomorrow in the United States Courthouse at the Ron de Lugo Federal Building in Charlotte Amalie.
According to the affidavit filed in the case, two masked men exited a vehicle and entered the store carrying guns.
One of the men used a pistol to assault a store employee by striking the employee in the head. The other man brandished the rifle-type firearm.
Each man took jewelry from the store and got back into a waiting getaway vehicle which was driven by a third man.
The complaint alleges Warner was the man brandishing the rifle in the store. Jamari Benjamin was previously arrested in connection with this offense; the third man remains at large.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD).
A criminal complaint is merely a charging document, and it is not in and of itself evidence of guilt.
Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.