Brian Denny: Ex-Oklahoma college instructor, 44, arrested after drugs and human bone found at his apartment
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WILBURTON, OKLAHOMA: Bryan Denny, a former criminal justice instructor at an Eastern Oklahoma college, was arrested after drugs and a human jaw bone were found inside his campus apartment. The human jaw bone and drugs were found in his apartment during a routine safety inspection of all student and residential apartments at the Eastern Oklahoma State College campus, as per authorities.
According to an STW News Press report, Denny was charged with various offenses, including possession of a controlled dangerous substance including intent to distribute, unlawful removal of a dead body, possession of a firearm while committing a felony, and possession of marijuana. However, he was released from the Latimer County Jail after posting a $20,000 bond.
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According to New York Post, the affidavit indicated college employees knocked on Denny’s apartment door several times before entering his apartment. It further revealed that he began “displaying nervous behavior” after being told about the routine inspection. Then he went into the living room and grabbed a box and a “marijuana rolling tray” and placed the items into a bathroom drawer.
Denny is a Native American citizen hence the authorities contacted Choctaw Nation prosecutors who ordered EOSC Police Chief Alton Jones to move forward with a search warrant request. This was later approved by Choctaw Nation District Judge Richard Branam.
A search of Denny’s residence was then conducted by officers from EOSC, Wilburton, and the Choctaw Nation. The officers further found a “black hard plastic carrying case” on the top shelf of the laundry closet that contained “what appeared to be a human jawbone with five decayed teeth.” Meanwhile, the 44-year-old professor declined to speak with investigators without counsel present when he was asked about the “artifact.”
No other items were found in his residence but officers collected three firearms from his house. A preliminary hearing conference is scheduled for 9 am on October 19, 2022, at the Choctaw Nation Courthouse in Talihina. A representative for EOSC told The McAlester News-Capital that Denny is no longer employed as a criminal justice instructor.
Denny has so far denied the claim and Wagner & Lynch, a law firm representing him, released a press note which stated, “Mr Denny is the target of a retaliation campaign by former friends and members of law enforcement and absolutely denies the allegations against him. The Choctaw Nation has decided to join in this campaign to destroy a good man’s reputation by filing charges that they know are unprovable."
The law firm also claimed that he was a tenured professor at Eastern Oklahoma State College, was a CLEET Academy director for 13 years, and a police officer for 17 years.
The statement further read, "This is especially true of the charge in regard to human remains. Mr Denny was given an artifact that rested next to another artifact, an arrowhead, that had been passed down to him by a family member. These artifacts were kept put away and not left on display by Mr Denny."
The statement further read, "The charge is meant solely for the purpose to sensationalize Mr. Denny’s arrest, embarrass him, and shame him into pleading to a lesser charge or soft deal when he is not guilty of anything. We look forward to our opportunity in court, and hope that the media will report Mr. Denny’s exoneration with the same fervor that they report these over-sensationalized and trumped-up charges.”