NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A man will spend two years and three months in prison for possessing a firearm with illegal modifications as a convicted felon.
According to a release from the Office of the Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney, on May 4, 2022 a Norfolk police officer spotted Joquan Dominick Owens, 26, near the intersection of Monticello Avenue and 28th Street, standing by a vehicle holding a pistol.
The officer recognized Owens as a convicted felon due to previous encounters.
The officer approached Owens, who then fled the scene on foot.
After searching the vehicle, the officer located a pistol in the trunk. The pistol was equipped with an extended magazine trigger activator, or auto sear. An auto sear allows the weapon to fire multiple shots with one pull of the trigger.
After running the firearm’s serial number, the officer discovered that the pistol had been reported stolen.
Owens pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted, non-violent felon and possessing a trigger activator. His plea was accepted and he was sentenced to two years and three months in prison.
An additional one year and nine months was suspended on the condition that Owens complete two years of supervised probation and three years of good behavior following his release.
“We take the possession of trigger activators very seriously and seek sanctions appropriate to these crimes,” Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi said.