A St. Thomas resident faces multiple felonies after authorities discovered an illegally converted automatic weapon in his vehicle at Cyril E. King Airport, located roughly 700 feet from a public beach and recreational area.
Stephan Allynton Walwyn, 26, was arrested on October 5, 2026, when he collected an inbound air freight package from St. Croix that had triggered a drug detection alert. A K9 unit had identified cannabis packed inside boxing gloves in the Cape Air shipment. After officers observed Walwyn retrieve the parcel and walk to his silver GMC pickup truck, they took him into custody.
During the initial arrest, Walwyn informed police he carried a licensed firearm. Records from the Virgin Islands Firearms Bureau showed he possessed permits for two handguns: a Glock 19 9mm and a Glock 23.40 caliber.
The investigation intensified the following day. When VIPA officers conducted an inventory search of the impounded truck, they opened an unsecured lunch bag in the cabin and found Walwyn's registered Glock 19 with a round already in the chamber. Four high-capacity magazines lay nearby: one holding 31 rounds, another with 24 rounds, a third loaded with 18 of its 22-round capacity, and a 10-round factory magazine in a holster. All were fully or substantially loaded.
A forensic examination revealed the Glock 19 had been fitted with an aftermarket conversion device, commonly called a "Glock switch" or auto sear. Under Virgin Islands law, such kits transform semi-automatic handguns into automatic weapons and are classified as illegal machine guns.
The truck's proximity to Lindbergh Bay Playground, a Port Authority park with basketball courts and beach access, triggered additional criminal exposure. Virgin Islands law mandates severe felony enhancements for possessing an illegal automatic weapon within 1,000 feet of a public recreation area. Geospatial mapping confirmed the vehicle was approximately 700 feet from the beach and playground.
Walwyn appeared before Superior Court Magistrate Judge Simone M. VanHolten-Turnbull on Friday for an Advice of Rights hearing. He was held on a $75,000 arrest warrant and charged with unauthorized possession of a firearm equipped with an automatic conversion kit inside a vehicle, possession of an illegal automatic weapon within 1,000 feet of a public beach or playground, and unsafe storage of a firearm inside a motor vehicle.
The arrest marked a reversal in Walwyn's legal trajectory. He had been enrolled in the Pretrial Intervention Program in February 2026 following the initial marijuana distribution case filed in April 2025. Prosecutors moved to dismiss those charges on July 24, 2026, after he satisfied program requirements.
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first.