A former criminal justice instructor at an Oklahoma college was arrested after drugs and a human jaw bone were found inside his campus apartment, according to reports.
The shocking discovery at Bryan Denny’s home was made during an Aug. 31 routine safety inspection of all student and residential apartments on campus at Eastern Oklahoma State College, according to an affidavit obtained by the Stillwater News Press.
Denny, who at the time was a criminal justice instructor at the school, immediately began “displaying nervous behavior” after he was informed of the routine check-up of his home, according to the affidavit.
The 44-year-old then allegedly grabbed a box and “marijuana rolling tray” from his living room and put them in a bathroom drawer, the affidavit states.
That sparked a search warrant approved by a district judge of the Choctaw Nation on the tribal citizen’s home where weed, a substance that tested positive for cocaine and paraphernalia were found, according to the report.
More shockingly, officers also located a “black hard plastic carrying case” that appeared to have a “human jawbone with five decayed teeth” inside according to the affidavit.
After another search warrant was issued by a judge, authorities found three firearms, the Stillwater News Press reported.
Denny was charged with distribution of a controlled dangerous substance including possession with intent, unlawful removal of a dead body, possession of a firearm while committing a felony and possession of marijuana.
He was fired by the school on Sept. 5. Before becoming a criminal justice instructor, Denny was the college’s police chief and dean of student life during his tenure, the report said.
Denny’s lawyers argued the human remains are actually an artifact that was passed down to him by a family member, KFOR reported. His legal team also insisted their client, who is a member of the Cherokee Nation, was “a target of a retaliation campaign by former friends and members of law enforcement” in a bid to “destroy a good man’s reputation.”
“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,” the law firm Wagner & Lynch said.
“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.”