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Illegal Weapons Charges for Alleged Ghost Gun Net Stricter Terms for Pre-Trial Release

A St. Thomas man faces charges after allegedly brandishing a weapon in view of a Corrections officer, just steps away from the Farrelly Justice Center and the St. Thomas jail. (File Photo)

A resident of Estate Contant is accused of staging a brazen confrontation with a Corrections officer just steps away from the St. Thomas Criminal Justice Complex. So close, in fact, that the officer told a judge on Wednesday he was able to return to work, retrieve his service weapon, and take the suspect into custody.

Defendant Stephen Thomas Jr. was advised of his rights at a preliminary hearing before Superior Court Magistrate Simone Van Holten-Turnbull. According to statements given to detectives at the Virgin Islands Police Department Major Crimes Bureau, the corrections officer was walking through the Fort Christian Parking Lot at the time.

Officer Jahmar Hodge told the court he spotted an individual seated in a white pickup truck on Feb. 5, and that the person was gesturing toward him. At first, the gesture he described was that of someone mimicking a handgun.

Then, Hodge said, the person in the truck gestured for him to come closer. At the Wednesday hearing Public Defender Theron Corey Davis asked the officer how close he came.

About three feet said the witness. Hodge added that he then saw a firearm tucked in the individual’s waistband. Then, he said, the person in the truck delivered a message.

“I am talking to you, your brother, your father, and all the Hodge, them,” the witness said.

Hodge said he was unarmed at the time, so he went back to the jail and returned with his weapon, and arrested Thomas. He was initially charged by police with brandishing a weapon at a law enforcement officer. Detectives also allegedly told Hodge the weapon in question was a ghost gun.

On Monday, the Justice Department withdrew the initial charge and had the Corrections bureau re-file it as their own enforcement action.

By the time the defendant appeared on Wednesday, the list of alleged offenses included possession of a firearm within 1,000 feet of Moravian Church School, possession of an unlicensed firearm, and possession of ammunition.

Van Holten warned Thomas that if he had a prior felony conviction, and if he was found guilty of gun possession within a school zone charge, he could face up to 40 years in prison. The magistrate asked Thomas’ lawyer about his client’s criminal past.

Davis said there was a conviction, but he wasn’t sure if it was for a felony or a misdemeanor. Once probable cause was established on all charges, the subject turned to bail.

Van Holten spurned a bid by the defense to allow a five percent cash provision on $50,000 bail and tripled that amount for pre-trial release. She set a curfew, allowing Thomas to continue working, and appointed his father to serve as a third-party custodian.

Then she explained that a ghost gun — the weapon allegedly used — is a privately-owned firearm that is unlicensed and untraceable. “This court is concerned that the firearm was a ghost gun … he didn’t have a license … and he’s 22; approaching an officer, he’s making threats. That’s serious and I already think the bail is too low,” the magistrate said.

Arraignment for Thomas is set for Feb. 24 at 10 a.m.

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