St. Croix man pleads guilty to illegal gun possession inside school zone

KINGSHILL — A St. Croix man has pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm inside a school zone, authorities said.

Jimmar A. Payne, 31, of Estate White Lady, made that plea to Magistrate Judge Emile A. Henderson III, in U.S. District Court, U.S. Attorney Delia L. Smith said. Payne’s sentencing is scheduled for December 12, 2024, when 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.

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.