Jimmar A. Payne, 31, of St. Croix, pleaded guilty in District Court before Magistrate Judge Emile A. Henderson III to Possession of a Firearm in a School Zone. The sentencing in this matter is scheduled for Dec. 12, where Payne faces a maximum sentence of five years incarceration. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors, United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced.
According to court documents, on January 29, 2023, Virgin Islands Police Department
officers conducted a traffic stop of Payne’s vehicle on the Melvin Evans Highway in the vicinity of the Ricardo Richards Elementary School for failure to display a visible rear license plate. Officers later observed a handgun protruding from under the driver’s seat of Payne’s vehicle. Payne did not have a license to possess the firearm.
