In a recent courtroom decision, Kelly Don Girty Jr., a 30-year-old resident of Gore, Oklahoma, received a sentence to serve 46 months in federal prison on charges related to illegal firearm possession. The sentence handed down is to be served consecutively with state sentences previously issued against Girty by the District Court of Sequoyah County, as reported by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
Following a traffic stop on January 7 by a Sequoyah County Sheriff's deputy, it was discovered, that Girty was found in possession of a .22 caliber bolt action rifle. Having a prior conviction for a crime that carried a potential imprisonment sentence of over a year, he was barred from having a gun. The findings from the investigation were conducted collaboratively by the local Sheriff's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
According to evidence presented in court, Girty pleaded guilty on May 2, to the charge of being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm, as part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative. This federal program is aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence while fostering safer community environments. The strategic approach was revitalized on May 26, 2021, emphasizing the importance of community trust, preventing violence through community organization engagement, focusing enforcement priorities strategically, and measuring their imposed impact.
The overseeing judge for the case was Senior U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour of the Western District of Washington, who presided while sitting by assignment in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Post-sentencing, Girty is to remain under U.S. Marshal custody until he is transported to a designated prison facility where he will begin his non-paroleable term. Representing the United States in the court proceedings was Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan E. Soverly. The information about the sentencing was posted on the Department of Justice's website.
