Walla Walla man sentenced for unlawful possession of a machine gun
By Dan Thesman on Wednesday, September 25th, 2024 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
YAKIMA – (News release from U.S. Attorney’s Office – Eastern District of Washington) Vanessa R. Waldref, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Troy Michael Hays, age 30, was sentenced for Unlawful Possession of a Machine Gun. Chief United States District Judge Stanley A. Bastian imposed a sentence of 72 months in federal prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release.
According to court documents and information presented at the sentencing hearing, on January 31, 2023, Detectives with the Walla Walla Police Department (WWPD) attempted to stop Hays, who was driving a gray Acura Integra, for reckless driving. Hays sped off and was not pursued at that time.
A few hours later, WWPD Detectives spotted Hays driving the same Acura Integra. Hays sped through a stop sign and turned a corner. Detectives activated their emergency lights and followed Hays’s car. When detectives turned the corner, they saw the Acura Integra several blocks ahead, speeding through a residential neighborhood. Detectives watched the Acura drive into a dead-end street and then lost sight of the vehicle. When Detectives arrived at the dead-end, they saw the Acura Integra stopped, hanging over the edge of a canal that ran perpendicular to the dead-end street. The Integra’s engine was still running; however, Hays had bailed out and fled. A short time later, WWPD located Hays in Wildwood Park, which was close where he abandoned the Acura.
Back at the Acura, Detectives noticed several rounds of loose ammunition in the car and became concerned that Hays had disposed of a firearm while running from the crash scene. The following morning, WWPD and the Walla Walla Regional Drug Gun Task Force returned to the canal. There, detectives located a 9mm Glock handgun placed between two pieces of concrete about 600 feet from where the Acura Integra crashed. Further examination of the gun revealed there was no debris or dust on it, consistent with the firearm being placed in the location recently, and Hays’s DNA was confirmed to be present on the machine gun. A distribution quantity of rainbow fentanyl-laced pills were also located in the vehicle.
The firearm had a “Glock switch” on it, which is a modification that attaches to the rear of a Glock handgun to convert it from semi-auto handgun to an automatic machine gun. The firearm had been reported stolen from Oregon.
“Mr. Hays recklessly attempted to run from law enforcement and dispose of a firearm with an illegal machinegun conversion device,” stated U.S. Attorney Waldref. “Gun ‘switches’ convert handguns into dangerous automatic machine guns that pose a significant danger to law enforcement and our communities. Protecting the public is our top priority, and my office is working hand in hand with federal, state, and local partners to remove these devices from our streets for everyone’s safety.”
“This sentence was clearly warranted,” said ATF Seattle Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Blais. “Mr. Hays’ reckless behavior behind the wheel of a car, compounded by his possession of a machine gun, was clearly a danger to the community. Those possessing and using these illegal adapters to turn semi-automatic firearms into machine guns put themselves and the public at risk.”
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Walla Walla Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie Van Marter.
