NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — 23-year-old Raemon Beale pleaded guilty on Tuesday to possessing a machine gun and possessing an illegal trigger activator last year, according to records.
The woman with Beale at the time, 24-year-old Hailey Frances Alexis Day, pleaded guilty earlier this year to felony fraud and misdemeanor identity theft after giving police her sister’s name instead of hers.
On Oct. 30, 2023, Norfolk Police officers arrived at a parking lot in the 6200 block of North Military Highway after receiving a description of a vehicle allegedly involved in an incident.
The officers saw Beale outside the reported vehicle bending over into the rear driver’s side back seat. Day was inside the car in the front passenger seat. Upon seeing the officers, Beale got into the driver’s seat and changed gears to try to flee. However, officers grabbed Beale from the driver’s seat, took him to the ground after he refused to put the car in park. He was then arrested.
Inside the vehicle, they found a Glock 22 semiautomatic pistol with an orange trigger activator attached to it. That trigger activator enables the pistol to fire as an automatic weapon with a single pull of the trigger. On the floor where Day had been sitting, officers also found a 50-round drum magazine inside a backpack. When officers arrested Day, she gave the name of her sister in an effort to avoid being charged.
Officers secured charges against Beale and Day for possessing a machine gun and possessing an illegal trigger activator as well as charges against Day for felony fraud and misdemeanor identity theft to avoid arrest.
On Tuesday, Beale pleaded no contest, pursuant to the rule in North Carolina v. Alford, to both of his charges.
As part of his plea agreement, the Commonwealth will be able to seek an active sentence of up to 12 months. Judge Jamilah D. LeCruise found Beale guilty and set his sentencing hearing on Jan. 10, 2025.
Day entered an agreement in August to plead guilty to her fraud and identity theft charges and receive a suspended sentence on the condition that she be of uniform good behavior for three years.
In exchange, the Commonwealth agreed to dismiss her firearm-related charges. Judge LeCruise accepted Day’s plea agreement and sentenced her per the agreement.
“Trigger activators, also known as Glock switches, turn regular handguns into illegal machine guns, greatly increasing their danger to the community,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “There is no legitimate purpose for a civilian to possess a machine gun, and at sentencing we will advocate for a sentence that reflects the danger automatic weapons pose to public safety.”
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