Riel Charleswell as he left the courtroom yesterday May 26, 2016. Photo: VINO

Giving testimony was Officer Dorville Carty of the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force Immediate Response Unit stationed at the Road Town Police Station.

Carty testified that on Tuesday March 13, 2016 he was on duty at Road Town Police Station when he received certain information at about 3:45 pm.

He said that as a result of that information received he, along with now deceased female Police Officer Kimberly Lewis and another officer, proceeded to Long Bush in the vicinity of the Elmore Stoutt High School at Jerome's Car Wash.

The court heard that the defendant was seated on a wall next to a Chevrolet two-door jeep.

The officer said he proceeded to identify himself and colleagues as police officers attached to the RVIPF and informed the defendant of the report against him - that he was alleged to have been selling drugs.

“I asked him if the vehicle was his. I told him of my intention to conduct a search of him and the vehicle and he did not object to the search,” said Officer Carty.

According to the officer, he searched the defendant and removed from his left front pants pocket two transparent ziploc bags containing a vegetable matter suspected to be cannabis.

'You going lock me up for a joint?'

“I cautioned him and asked him what the articles in the bags were. He said a joint officer. You going lock me up for a joint?” the officer related.

Carty said he told the defendant that it is an offence to have drugs on him and that he was arresting him on suspicion of same.

The officer said he also found a large amount of cash on the defendant which he left on him at the time.

Vehicle searched

Officer Carty testified that when he went to the vehicle it was locked. “I asked the defendant for the keys for the vehicle and he said that he did not have the keys,” Officer Carty testified.

The officer testified that Charleswell proceeded to make a call on his phone to have the vehicle's keys delivered to his location. However, the call yielded no positive result.

The officer testified that shortly thereafter he observed a bunch of keys, including a vehicle key, not far from the defendant on the ground.

“I asked whether the keys belonged to him and he said no. One of the keys opened up the vehicle door and I proceeded to search the vehicle,” Carty said.

According to the officer, he was able to retrieve what was suspected to be cannabis from the centre console between the two front seats of the vehicle and also from the pocket located on the back of the front passenger seat.
To the find, Charleswell allegedly said that he knew nothing about it.

Officer Carty also alleged that he found a ‘Little Switzerland’ gift bag containing wrapping material for the smoking of cannabis. The officer also found a quantity of cash comprising various denominations of United States currency.

Home of Charleswell searched

The officer testified that around 8:20 pm on the same day, March 13, 2016, he and other officers, including Lewis, went to the home of Charleswell in Great Mountain to execute a search warrant.

According to the officer, when he and the others approached the room shown by the defendant to be his, the stench of cannabis was apparent. Upon a search of the house, the Police found various quantities of vegetation suspected to be cannabis, cash suspected to be proceeds from the sale of cannabis and various paraphernalia suspected to be used in the sale and distribution of cannabis, including empty ziploc ‘dime’ bags, and scales suspected to be used for weighing cannabis. The officers also found a number of ammunition and to this the defendant admitted they were his.

Charleswell was eventually charged with multiple counts of possession of a controlled drug, possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply and possession of explosives.

Charleswell is to return to court on September 19, 2016 for the continuation of his trial in the Magistrate’s Court.

Reporters threatened

Upon leaving the courtroom for a short break in his trial, Charleswell warned members of the Free Press against taking his photograph, threatening to “f--k” them up if they did.