Stockton’s Richard J. Beall Gets 15 Years for Meth, Gun Crimes

Stockton’s Richard J. Beall, 49, is headed to federal prison for 15 years after being sentenced in Sacramento for dealing methamphetamine and wielding firearms as a convicted felon. U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert confirmed the judgment handed down by U.S. District Judge Morrison C. England Jr., sealing Beall’s fate in a case packed with stolen vehicles, armed drug deals, and a surreal cherry tree escape attempt.

Beall pleaded guilty on September 29, 2016, to charges of distributing meth and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. Court records show he conducted multiple meth sales to an undercover agent and a confidential informant in February and March of that year. During one controlled buy at his Stockton residence, Beall sat on a couch with a loaded semi-automatic pistol within arm’s reach on an end table — a blatant show of force from a man legally barred from owning guns.

The arrest came on March 29, 2016, when local patrol spotted Beall driving a truck reported stolen. Instead of stopping, he hit the gas, leading officers on a wild chase through orchards and farmland. He eventually ditched the vehicle and scaled a cherry tree in a desperate bid to evade capture. Officers pulled him down and found a loaded pistol in his left-rear pocket — just the start of the arsenal they’d uncover.

Later that day, a search warrant executed at Beall’s home revealed a battlefield-grade arsenal: a loaded AK-47 rifle with a high-capacity magazine, plus two additional handguns. The cache underscored the danger posed by Beall, who used weapons to protect and project power over his drug operation. As a convicted felon, every firearm in his possession was a federal crime.

“At ATF, our highest priority is reducing violent crime within our communities,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Jill Snyder. “This case is an example of the work ATF agents do on a daily basis to protect the public from armed drug traffickers who threaten our neighborhoods.”

The investigation was a joint push by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Stockton Police Department, and the California Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ross K. Naughton prosecuted the case, ensuring Beall faced the full weight of federal law. With 15 years behind bars, the streets of Stockton will be rid of one of its more brazen armed drug offenders — at least for now.