Winnebago Man Sentenced for Being a Drug User in Possession of a Firearm

United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Emmett Walker, Jr, age 54, of Winnebago, Nebraska, was sentenced on November 6, 2024, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska for being a drug user in possession of a firearm. United States District Court Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Smith to 12 months and one day imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Walker's release from prison, he will begin a 3-year term of supervised release.

In November 2022, Walker was pulled over for a traffic violation on the Winnebago Indian Reservation. During the course of the traffic stop, Walker permitted the officer to search his car. Walker, who had recently lost his residence and many of his personal items due to a fire, had his Mossberg rifle in the trunk of the car, which he otherwise possessed legally. The officer also found a small amount of methamphetamine and Walker admitted to using meth regularly for the previous few years prior to the stop.

Federal law prohibits the possession of a firearm if the possessor is also a drug user or addict.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services.