Tulare County Man Arrested on Weapons Charges after Alleged Death Threats to Deputy
Above: Damien Gruenberg arrest photo | All photos courtesy of Tulare County Sheriff’s Office
A Tulare County man was recently arrested after allegedly making death threats against a county deputy over email, which reportedly led to the discovery of a ghost gun, ammunition, and other items.
According to a press release by the Sheriff’s Office, a Tulare County Sheriff’s Deputy received death threats via their Sheriff’s Office email account, prompting an investigation by detectives. The probe led to the arrest of 29-year-old Damien Gruenberg of Ivanhoe, who was identified as the primary suspect in having sent the threatening emails.
When arrested at his home, Gruenberg was reportedly found to be armed with an unserialized pistol, known as a “ghost gun,” and allegedly had an AR-15 within his reach. The AR-15 was also a ghost gun and loaded with a 60-round magazine, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Detectives also searched Gruenberg’s home and found several high-capacity magazines with armor-piercing ammunition, body armor, firearm manufacturing “jigs,” and multiple computers. Gruenberg is prohibited from having firearms due to a previous criminal conviction. He has been booked at the Adult Pre-trial Facility on suspicion of making terrorist threats and several firearm-related felonies.
The Tulare County Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone with additional information to come forward and reach out to Detective Chris Tyson or Sergeant Daniel Balderas by phone at (559) 733 – 6218, or anonymously by calling or texting (559) 725 – 4194 or sending an email to tcso@tipnow.com.
The possession of ghost guns is a contentious issue in the United States, as they are unregistered and untraceable. Some states such as California, New Jersey, and New York, among others, have moved to regulate their sale and possession, but they remain legal in many other states. There is also no current federal law that regulates the sale and possession of ghost guns.
Such firearms have been linked to numerous crimes across the country, including mass shootings. In recent years, there have been calls for tighter controls on ghost guns to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands.
