An Ivanna Eudora Kean High School student faces several charges after he allegedly brought marijuana and a gun to school, according to documents filed Wednesday in V.I. Superior Court on St. Thomas.
Khalid A. Warrell faces charges of carrying or using a firearm, possession of ammunition and disturbance of the peace. Bail was set at $25,000 and his arraignment is scheduled for May 30.
According to a probable cause fact sheet filed by VIPD Officer Maria Hodge, she was on duty at the school Tuesday morning when she was called to the second floor to assist Officer D. Matthew with “an incident involving a student who had refused to cooperate with a routine search and was exhibiting hostile behavior.”
The search of the upstairs classrooms was prompted by a tip from a maintenance staff member “who reported witnessing a student dropping a pistol the previous week,” the fact sheet states.
The student, later identified as Warrell, allegedly fled the classroom with his backpack, and the officers were instructed by Principal Sally Petty to stop him.
“I proceeded downstairs to locate Mr. Warrell, but he was not visible. Officer Matthew turned right to check if Warrell was fleeing down the ramp or exiting the school grounds, while I turned left toward the rear of the building. Upon rounding the corner, I heard a loud ‘clink’ sound, as if an object had been thrown. I then observed Mr. Warrell with his backpack open and trying to remove items from said backpack. I asked Mr. Warrell, ‘What did you throw over the fence?’ to which he initially responded ‘nothing’. Upon repeating the question, he stated that he did not want to be searched because he had ‘tools’ in his bag, referring to marijuana,” Hodge wrote.
Warrell began to walk away, but she guided him back to the fence area where he had discarded something and observed a “small chrome pistol” on the ground, which Warrell denied was his, she said. A subsequent search of his backpack by school monitor Angel Liburd found a “medium-sized Mason jar containing several baggies of green leafy substance, which later tested positive for marijuana,” according to the fact sheet.
Further investigation revealed that the recovered firearm was a gray Phoenix Arms .22 long rifle, loaded with a magazine containing three rounds, said Hodge. Warrell did not have a license for either a gun or ammunition, according to the VIPD Firearms Bureau, she said.
Placed under arrest and taken to the Richard N. Callwood Command, Warrell allegedly told police that he fled the search because he feared he would miss his exams if he was found with marijuana in his backpack.
“Mr. Warrell stated that he voluntarily left the classroom with his backpack, fully aware of the contents therein. He described the marijuana as being stored in baggies inside a jar, which was then placed inside a Crown Royal bag. He emphasized that the quantity of marijuana was minimal and asserted that he had placed it in his backpack the previous night without any intention of selling or consuming it on school premises. However, he was unable to provide an explanation for why he possessed marijuana at school,” according to the probable cause fact sheet.
He allegedly told police that he “contemplated disposing of the marijuana but ultimately chose to keep it, stating that he did not want to incur a loss. Mr. Warrell added that as he approached the school gate, he began to search through his backpack, which he uses to carry his ‘tools’; referring to items related to his marijuana use, including a bamboo smoking device.”
Warrell denied possessing a firearm or discarding any item over the fence, despite the officer retrieving a gray or silver firearm from the vicinity where it was alleged to have been thrown, the fact sheet stated.
