A Jackson man has pled guilty to illegally possessing a machine gun after he fled a traffic stop and crashed vehicle into a train car.
Court documents show that 20-year-old Johnny Ragsdale led Capitol Police on a high-speed chase after failing to yield during a routine traffic stop. The chase ended after Ragsdale collided with a train car on Mill Street, after which officers recovered a Glock pistol modified with a machine gun conversion device.
According to a press release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has seen an increase in casing involving converted firearms, commonly known as “switches” or “auto sears,” which convert semi-automatic handguns into fully automatic weapons. Data from a 2023 report by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) shows a 570% increase in machine gun conversion devices taken into custody between 2017 and 2021.
Ragsdale is set to be sentenced in February of 2025, facing a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
The case, part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, is being investigated by the ATF and Capitol Police, while being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Amber S. Jones.
