Ex-Marine Charles Dyer Captured in Texas
Armed and dangerous ex-Marine Charles Dyer found by Texas police today.
Aug. 25, 2011— -- An ex-Marine who was on the lam from the FBI and believed to be armed and dangerous has been captured in Texas.
Charles Dyer, 31, of Duncan, Okla., was wanted for failing to appear in court on charges that he raped a 7-year-old girl. Police said he was known to have weapons and was part of a right wing anti-government group.
The FBI said a resident notified authorities this morning about a suspicious person walking near a day care center in Pecan Grove, Texas, which led police to locate Dyer walking along the side of a road and order him to the ground. Police said he provided a false name at first before police found an ID on him and Dyer confirmed his identity to them.
Dyer was unarmed at the time of his arrest, but had $1,500 in cash and a GPS system with him. He told police he had been hiding in the brush near the side of a creek for the past five or six days and that police had come within 10 meters of him during their search, according to ABC News affiliate KTRK.
Charles Dyer Will Face Rape, Flight Charges
He will be extradited back to Oklahoma, where he will be tried in state court for the sexual assault charge and also in federal court for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, according to Clay Simmonds, spokesman for the FBI in Oklahoma. Simmonds said Dyer will likely remain in prison with no bail until he is tried for the crimes.
Authorities feared that a confrontation with Dyer could have been violent, as Dyer was an outspoken member of a right-wing group called Oath Keepers that called on members to "rise up" against "tyrannical government." He had uploaded a video of himself telling authorities that if they came to his home armed, he would have the right to defend himself.
The FBI launched a 12 state search for Dyer after he failied to show up to court in Stephens County, Okla., and authorities found his mobile home burned to the ground. Dyer was known to have multiple weapons, and had previously been indicted by the federal government for illegally possessing a grenade launcher.
Followers and friends of Dyer posted YouTube videos saying they would help their friend, known online as July4Patriot, defend himself against the FBI.