Logan Cobell, Carrying a Loaded Firearm Near a High School, USVI 2016

A St. Thomas man who carried a loaded Taurus handgun within a thousand feet of a high school has been sentenced to one month behind bars. Logan Cobell, 27, admitted to the crime in a plea deal that exposed a brazen disregard for student safety and federal law.

On September 14, 2016, Cobell pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm in a school zone, a charge that carries stiff penalties under U.S. code. The incident unfolded on March 20, 2016, when police responded to Fatty’s Bar in Red Hook after reports of a man armed inside the establishment. Security personnel had already wrestled the firearm from Cobell and handed it over to the Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD).

Not only was Cobell not licensed to carry in the U.S. Virgin Islands, but the location of the offense placed him squarely in violation of federal statutes prohibiting weapons near schools. Eudora Kean High School sits within 1,000 feet of the bar, turning what might have been a local disturbance into a federal crime.

U.S. District Judge Curtis V. Gomez handed down a sentence that includes one month of imprisonment followed by one year of supervised release. As part of that release, Cobell will serve two months under home confinement. He was also ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and a $25 special assessment.

In addition to fines and confinement, Cobell must complete 400 hours of community service — a punishing workload meant to reflect the severity of bringing a firearm into a space where children are protected by law. Prosecutors emphasized that school zones are designated as such for public safety, not technicalities.

The case was jointly investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Virgin Islands Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sigrid Tejo-Sprotte prosecuted the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, with U.S. Attorney Ronald W. Sharpe confirming the final judgment. The message from federal authorities is clear: weapons near schools will be met with maximum accountability.