Jimmar A. Payne, Possession of a Firearm in a School Zone, Virgin Islands 2024

St. Croix, VI – In a disturbing incident, St. Croix resident Jimmar A. Payne, 31, was found in possession of a firearm in a school zone.

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.

The Virgin Islands Police Department and High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Task Force investigated the case, and Assistant United States Attorney Daniel H. Huston prosecuted the charges.

Payne pleaded guilty to Possession of a Firearm in a School Zone in District Court before Magistrate Judge Emile A. Henderson III, and sentencing is scheduled for December 12, 2024.

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.

This case is part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative, which aims to address violent crime problems in communities nationwide.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-vi/pr/st-croix-man-pleads-guilty-possession-firearm-school-zone