The Duncan Banner

Dyer found not guilty

Toni Hopper
The Duncan Banner

OKLAHOMA CITY — A jury in a federal courtroom Tuesday returned after several hours with a not guilty verdict for Charles Alan Dyer, who was charged in January with a federal complaint of possession of a grenade
launcher.

The complaint was filed by Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
(ATF) Agent Brett Williams, following a search on Dyer’s premises east
of Marlow on an unrelated charge by Stephens County Sheriff Wayne
McKinney and deputies.

Dyer’s father, John, said Tuesday night that he was feeling better then he had in a long time.

“I feel like justice has been served,” he said.

Attempts to reach David Hammond, Dyer’s attorney, were not successful,
but Hammond was in the city on the court case and had not returned to
Duncan before his law firm office closed for the business day.

Hammond did say in earlier interviews that Dyer did not have any
previous criminal record. Dyer is a former U.S. Marine, who served on
more than one tour to the Middle East.

Stephens County has a hold on Dyer, 29, to return to face local charges
of child sexual abuse. A date has not been set by the District
Attorney’s office for that charge. It is not known when Dyer will be
transferred back to the county jail.

The federal indictment alleged that Dyer was found to be in a
possession of a Colt M-203, 40-millimeter grenade launcher on Jan. 12.
The weapon was not registered to Dyer in the National Firearms
Registration and Transfer Records, according to the court documents
filed in January.

The National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database had the grenade
launcher listed as a stolen weapon in 2006, from Fort Irwin, Calif.. It
is allegedly one of three that were stolen from the military base and
is not known if the other two have been recovered.

Had Dyer been found guilty and convicted, he could have faced up to 10 years in a federal prison and a fine of up to $10,000.



— Toni Hopper is a reporter for The Duncan Banner. She can be reached at 580-255-5354, Ext. 132 or by e-mail at: toni.hopper@duncanbanner.com..