What started as a couple of early-morning traffic stops in the Ballenger Creek area of Frederick turned into a much bigger haul for deputies on Sunday. Around the intersection of Ballenger Creek Pike and Ballenger Center Drive, authorities say they pulled over two vehicles and ended up arresting four people, seizing a handgun outfitted with an extended magazine and a fully automatic conversion device, additional handguns with extended magazines, suspected crack cocaine, cannabis, and several hundred dollars in cash. All four were taken to the Frederick County Adult Detention Center while deputies kept digging into the case.
What deputies say they found
According to a press release from the Frederick County Sheriff's Office, deputies conducted two separate traffic stops at about 3:25 a.m. and recovered a loaded handgun from 18-year-old Keymoni Javon Disney's waistband. Investigators say that the pistol had an extended magazine and a fully automatic conversion device that allowed it to fire like a machine gun, and that deputies later found roughly 291 grams of cannabis and about $1,200 on Disney.
Arrests and charges
Coverage from Fox Baltimore identifies the other people arrested as 17-year-old Demarion Lazivior Scott, who deputies say was charged as an adult after officers found a loaded handgun concealed under his leg; 22-year-old James Damaurie Monkister, who allegedly had another loaded handgun with an extended magazine; and 19-year-old Myanna Amor Evans, who was taken into custody on an active felony warrant out of West Virginia. WBFF reports that the three face firearms-related charges and allegations of possession with intent to distribute, and that all four were booked into central booking.
Why the conversion device matters
Conversion devices, often called “Glock switches” or auto-sears, can take a standard semiautomatic pistol and make it fire continuously with a single pull of the trigger, dramatically increasing how many rounds can be fired in seconds. The Associated Press has reported that states around the country have moved to ban these parts and that federal officials recovered more than 12,000 suspected conversion devices during a recent multi-year period. The ATF and U.S. attorneys have repeatedly treated those parts as machine-gun components in prosecutions and in public advisories.
Local impact and next steps
The Frederick County Sheriff's Office says investigators are working with the Frederick Police Department to follow up on leads and that anyone with information should call 301-600-1046 or submit a tip through the FCSO tip line. The sheriff's office released photos of the seized firearms and other items, and prosecutors will determine the final slate of charges as the investigation continues and booking paperwork is reviewed by county and potentially federal authorities.
