March 2, 2009 — Police on St. Thomas confiscated three firearms, including an assault rifle, and arrested one man over the weekend in two separate incidents.
At about 11:14 p.m. Friday the Special Operations Bureau responded to a 911 emergency call reporting that a concerned citizen had seen a rifle in the back seat of a passenger vehicle. Officers located and stopped the vehicle, a white Chrysler Sebring, which was traveling in the area of Lower Kronprindsens Gade, and observed the firearm in plain sight in the back seat.
The weapon is a .223 caliber Kell Tech Assault rifle with two 30-round magazines and a telescopic lens. Officers arrested 37-year-old Lincoln Benjamin of Anna's Retreat and charged him with possession of an unlicensed firearm. His bail was set at $35,000 and he was remanded to the custody of the Bureau of Corrections pending his advice-of-rights hearing.
The following evening, at about 11:20 p.m. Saturday, the Special Operations Bureau responded to a 911 call of shots fired in the Kirwin Terrace housing community. Officers inspected the area and discovered two handguns concealed under a mat at the rear of Building 19. The weapons were described as a .44 magnum Ruger and a 9 mm handgun. The weapons will be processed by the Forensic Bureau. No arrests were made in this case.
Police Chief Rodney F. Querrard thanked the public for providing the information that removed the firearms from the community. He encouraged citizens to continue to call with information on criminal activity. Numbers to call are emergency 911, the Investigation Bureau at 715-5522 or the chief's office at 715-5548. Residents can also call Crime Stoppers USVI at 1-800-222-TIPS.
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