ST. THOMAS – Almost two weeks ago, WTJX shared an article on its Facebook page from the Paulick Report, a leading media outlet dedicated to thoroughbred horse racing news, analysis, and commentary. The story was about the arrest of jockey and St. Croix native Kevin Krigger in Utah. Since then, Krigger has pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors and has been placed on probation, after police discovered over a pound of marijuana and a handgun during a traffic stop.
Krigger was initially charged with a third-degree felony for the purchase, transfer, possession or use of a firearm by a restricted person and possession of a controlled substance, a class B misdemeanor, according to court documents. After accepting a plea agreement, the first charge was downgraded to a class A misdemeanor. Krigger pleaded guilty to both charges at his arraignment on September 22, agreeing to forfeit the firearm and pay a $750 fine. He was also placed on 24 months of informal probation.
Krigger is currently on probation in the Virgin Islands for unauthorized possession of a firearm. According to a probable cause fact sheet, on February 6, 2022, he was arrested in the vicinity of the Sion Farm traffic light and was charged with possession of a black Smith & Wesson handgun with an altered serial number. Judge Douglas Brady sentenced Krigger to five years of supervised probation in an order signed November 30, 2022. It is unclear at this time if Krigger’s recent incident in Utah will impact his probationary status in the Virgin Islands.
Krigger gained notoriety in 2013 when he was tapped to ride leading contender Goldencents in the Kentucky Derby, a journey chronicled by WTJX in the documentary The Dream: Road to the Kentucky Derby. Since launching his career in 2001, he has collected more than a thousand victories and tens of millions of dollars in purse earnings. This year has been his strongest since that Derby run, highlighted by his role as the leading rider at Emerald Downs in Washington. He also races in the Virgin Islands, most recently on August 30, when he guided Floki’s Flight to victory in a highly anticipated match race against Pure Speight during the Labor Day Races at the Clinton E. Phipps Racetrack on St. Thomas.
Krigger’s Utah arrest came on September 12 when he was pulled over by police for non-functioning taillights on a trailer he was towing.
During the traffic stop, police smelled the odor of raw marijuana coming from his vehicle and, when asked, Krigger told officers there was marijuana in the driver’s side door compartment, according to the affidavit of probable cause.
After searching both the vehicle Krigger was driving, and the vehicle being towed on the trailer, officers found a little more than one pound of marijuana, a jar with marijuana plant seeds, a nine-millimeter pistol, and approximately $8,000 in cash. Krigger was then placed under arrest.
Krigger agreed to speak with officers without counsel present, telling them he was moving to New Mexico and that he grew marijuana while living in Washington state. He said the seeds were for marijuana plants to continue growing. Krigger also told officers he bought the firearm while living in Florida and that he had both a concealed carry license and a medical marijuana license. Officers were unable to find these licenses when they ran a search.
