Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Handgun With Illegal Trigger Activator, Woman Pleads Guilty to Identity Fraud During Their Arrests in 2023

NORFOLK, Va. — Raemon Mikel Beale, 23, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to possessing a machine gun and possessing an illegal trigger activator after police found him last year with an illegal 50-round drum magazine and a Glock equipped with a switch. The woman Mr. Beale was with at the time, 24-year-old Hailey Frances Alexis Day, pleaded guilty earlier this year to felony fraud and misdemeanor identity theft for lying to police about her name during their arrests.

On Oct. 30, 2023, Norfolk Police officers arrived at a parking lot in the 6200 block of North Military Highway after receiving a report of an incident and the description of a vehicle allegedly involved in it. The officers saw Mr. Beale outside the reported vehicle bending over into the rear driver’s side back seat. A woman, later identified as Ms. Day, was inside the car in the front passenger seat. When Mr. Beale noticed the officers, he quickly got into the driver’s seat and changed gears to try to flee. The officers grabbed Mr. Beale from the driver’s seat, took him to the ground after he refused to put the car in park, and arrested him. When the officers searched the vehicle subsequent to Mr. Beale’s arrest, 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 Ms. Day had been sitting, officers also found a 50-round drum magazine inside a backpack. When officers arrested Ms. Day, she gave the name of her sister in an effort to avoid being charged.

Officers secured charges against Mr. Beale and Ms. Day for possessing a machine gun and possessing an illegal trigger activator as well as charges against Ms. Day for felony fraud and misdemeanor identity theft to avoid arrest.

On Tuesday, Mr. 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 twelve months. Judge Jamilah D. LeCruise found Mr. Beale guilty and set his sentencing hearing on Jan. 10, 2025.

Ms. 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 Ms. 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.”

Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Stephanie G. Johnson prosecuted Mr. Beale’s and Ms. Day’s cases on behalf of the Commonwealth, and Norfolk Police Detective Kyle G. Phillips led the investigation

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