A Valliant, Oklahoma resident has pleaded guilty to a federal firearm charge, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma reports. Dale Warren Gribnitz, 66, admitted to owning a firearm despite a previous conviction that barred him from doing so. He faces a punishment of up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Gribnitz was charged for possessing a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun on October 20, 2024. His previous criminal record made this possession illegal, as per the indictment.
The case was the result of a joint investigation by the Valliant Police Department, the Choctaw County Sheriff's Office, the Choctaw Nation Lighthorse Police, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Jason A. Robertson accepted Gribnitz's guilty plea in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma. A presentence investigation report will be completed as part of the sentencing process.
"The U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors," stated the announcement. Gribnitz remains in U.S. Marshals Service custody as he awaits sentencing. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Soverly represented the prosecution in this case.
