Gun and Mask Found in Vehicle Abandoned at St. Thomas Airport

ST. THOMAS — A man who left his vehicle in front of the Cyril E. King Airport until it was towed is now in legal hot water after police found a gun in the car.

Officers were dispatched to the airport on Monday morning after several unattended vehicles had accumulated in front of the Cyril E. King airport terminal. The drivers of the offending vehicles were tracked down and removed them from the area. Only a silver Toyota Corolla remained.

After making several unsuccessful inquiries with several airport employees about the driver, the car was ticketed and subsequently clamped. Over an hour passed with no sign of the driver, and thus police had the car towed to the nearby Port Authority impound lot. Noting a bag inside the vehicle, the wrecker operator asked for an officer to conduct an inspection and search of the Corolla.

Checking inside the bag, police found a black ski mask, black gloves, and a black firearm inside. The gun, which bore a serial number, was a Glock 22 .40 caliber handgun fitted with an extended magazine. Also in the back was a green leafy substance suspected to be marijuana.