Miami - Tuesday June 18, 2024: 18-year-old Darroll C. Gilchrist of Port St. Lucie has entered a plea of guilty to possession of an unregistered firearm.
Gilchrist was arrested last year on July 28 on an outstanding warrant. During his arrest, deputies found that he was armed with a Glock model 19 firearm, modified with a “Glock switch” The “Glock switch” enables the firearm to fire automatically, more than one shot, by a single function of the trigger.
This device by itself, regardless if it is installed on a slide or not, is considered by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to be a machine gun, making possession of the device illegal in the United States under most circumstances.
Gilchrist entered his guilty plea in Miami Federal Court last week on Tuesday June 11. He is scheduled to be sentenced on September 5th before U. S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon in Fort Pierce.
The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
ATF Fort Pierce and St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Hudock is prosecuting it.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida; Special Agent in Charge Christopher A. Robinson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Office; and Sheriff Keith Pearson of the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office made the announcement.
This prosecution is a part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program. PSN is the centerpiece of the Department’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.
Through the PSN program, a broad spectrum of law enforcement and community stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs to reduce violence crime and gun violence, and to make our local neighborhoods safer for everyone.