CHRISTIANSTED — A 22-year-old man who pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm in a school zone was given four months in prison by a federal judge, U.S. Attorney Delia L. Smith said.
Roniel Allembert, of St. Croix, was also ordered by U.S. District Judge Wilma A. Lewis to serve three years of supervised release, a fine of $1,500.00, and a special assessment of $100.00.
According to court documents, on September 28, 2021, Virgin Islands Police Department
officers discovered a loaded Taurus 9mm handgun in a ditch approximately 290 feet from the Church of God Holiness Academy in Anna’s Hope, St. Croix.
Officers also encountered Allembert at the location, but he left at a high rate of speed when he saw the officers. Allembert later returned to the location driving slowly while looking into the ditch where the handgun was found.
Allembert’s DNA was recovered from the firearm, and he did not have a license to possess the firearm.
This case was investigated by the Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD), U.S. Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melissa Ortiz and Daniel Huston.