Texas Extradition Warrant Triggers 'Fugitive From Justice' Arrest Inside St. Croix Prison Walls: COURT WATCH
By JOHN McCARTHY / St. Croix Sun News Reporter
FREDERIKSTED — A routine classification check inside the Bureau of Corrections (B.O.C.) has ended with a local inmate facing an official "Fugitive from Justice" charge after a delayed national database hit revealed he is wanted for a major felony in the Lone Star State.
The suspect, identified in Superior Court dockets as Roger Allan Lawson II, was formally processed at the Wilbur H. Francis Command Station in Frederiksted and returned to the John A. Bell Adult Correctional Facility, where he is currently being held without bail pending full extradition proceedings.
The Delayed NCIC Tripwire
According to a probable cause fact sheet filed by Corrections Officer Jourdan Henderson, the administrative sequence began unfolding on May 21, 2026, when B.O.C. Assistant Warden Omar Samuel initiated a standard Classification Background check on Lawson utilizing the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database.
Initially, the automated system returned a completely clean, negative result.
However, the digital landscape shifted drastically 48 hours later. On May 23, a Virgin Islands Police Department NCIC operator contacted Assistant Warden Samuel with an urgent update: a delayed warrant hit had triggered in the system. The electronic alert revealed an active, outstanding arrest warrant entered by the Tarrant County Sheriff's Department in Texas.
The Texas warrant explicitly stated that the State of Texas will fully extradite Lawson to face a charge of Felony Assault.
‘I Knew a Warrant Was Issued’
On Saturday, June 6, 2026, at approximately 12:00 PM, Officer Henderson positively identified and confronted Lawson inside the prison facility, serving him with the official Texas extradition details.
Upon being informed of the national warrant, Lawson reportedly bypassed any attempts at an alibi. Dockets state Lawson "freely stated" to corrections officers that he was fully aware an arrest warrant had been generated against him in Texas after he purposefully failed to appear at a mandatory court hearing. However, Lawson maintained he was entirely unaware that Texas authorities had authorized full interstate extradition to bring him back.
Remanded to Golden Grove
Lawson was pulled from the general population, placed under arrest, and escorted to the VIPD Operations and Administrative building at Mars Hill in Frederiksted. There, he was formally booked, fingerprinted, and processed by a VIPD Forensic Technician before being transported back to the prison complex.
Assistant Attorney General Katia Maria Bouza has formally approved the territorial charge against the defendant:
Fugitive from Justice in violation of Title 5 V.I.C. § 3802.
Because of his fugitive designation and the binding nature of the Tarrant County felony extradition warrant, no bail has been set. Lawson remains remanded at the John A. Bell Adult Correctional Facility in Estate Golden Grove pending his formal scheduling hearings. Court dockets note that the defendant carries an existing criminal record on file.
