A St. Croix man carrying an illegal weapon led police on a brief chase Tuesday before being captured, according to court records.
Eardley Pant was arrested early Tuesday morning and charged with carrying of a firearm openly or concealed, possession of ammunition, and operating a motor vehicle with illegal windshield tint, and he was held in jail on $50,000 bond, according to a probable cause fact sheet filed by V.I. Police.
He appeared in court Wednesday for his advice-of-rights hearing where Magistrate Judge Ernest Morris Jr. ordered him to post $5,000 cash bail, and said he must live with a third-party custodian under house arrest, except to travel to court or for his work as a farmer.
The incident occurred at 12:25 a.m. on Queen Mary Highway in Estate La Reine when seven officers and two sergeants were conducting a drunk driving checkpoint. Officers stopped every third driver, including Pant, and ordered him into the checkpoint area.
Officers noted that “the vehicle had tint on the front windshield,” and smelled marijuana smoke coming from the vehicle, according to the fact sheet. Pant admitted to smoking marijuana, and officers said they noticed a bulge on his waistline and what appeared to be marijuana in a vial in open view on the front seat.
Officers ordered Pant out of the vehicle so they could conduct a search, and he immediately took off running, according to the fact sheet. Officers chased Pant, and said they saw him pull a black firearm from his waist.
“Mr. Pant tripped over his own feet, lost his balance and fell onto the ground and dropped the firearm,” according to the fact sheet.
Officers aimed a TASER at Pant, handcuffed and searched him. Police said they found a magazine with ammunition in his front pants pocket, an empty gun holster on his waistline, and a magazine containing 16 live rounds in his right shoe.
The gun was identified as a Taurus 9 mm with 15 live rounds and one in the chamber, according to the fact sheet. Police said Pant is not licensed to possess a firearm in the territory.
— Contact Suzanne Carlson at 340-714-9122 or email scarlson@dailynews.vi.
