Three men from St. Thomas appeared in Magistrates’ Court Monday facing charges of illegal entry and gun possession, after allegedly entering the territory late Saturday night at Frenchmans Cay.
Standing before Magistrate Tamia Richards Monday, Camille King, 33, of St. Thomas, Kimo Inniss, 21, of St. Croix, and Germaine Bell Jr., 22, of St. Thomas, all pleaded guilty to landing in the territory without leave of an immigration officer.
They also faced several gun-related charges: three counts of unlawful possession of explosives; two counts of unlawful possession of an unlicensed firearm; two counts of importation of a firearm; and three counts of importation of explosives.
Mr. King, who said he captained the vessel, pleaded guilty to the gun-related charges, while the other two men maintained their innocence.
Following Mr. King’s guilty plea, the Crown offered no evidence against Messrs. Innis and Bell, and the gun-related charges against them were dropped.
The three US citizens told the court they hadn’t planned on coming to Tortola. While travelling around St. John in a speedboat, they said, they were running low on fuel.
See the July 26, 2012 edition for full coverage.