Former Waurika City Manager and Reserve Officer Pleads Guilty to Child Sexual Abuse Material and Secret Recording Charges

Charles Kyote Dunn, 32, the former city manager and reserve police officer for Waurika, Oklahoma, pleaded guilty Tuesday in Jefferson County District Court to possession and manufacture of child sexual abuse material and four counts of using video equipment in a clandestine manner. He received a 20-year sentence with five years suspended and credit for time served on the first count, plus five-year suspended sentences on the remaining four counts. As part of the plea, Dunn must register as a sex offender.

The case began in January 2024 when the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office requested assistance from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. A search of Dunn’s residence that month yielded nearly 2,000 images involving five individuals, including child sexual abuse material. Charges were filed in October 2024, and Dunn had remained jailed on a $500,000 bond until Tuesday’s plea.

For residents of Waurika and the surrounding communities, including Lawton and the Fort Sill area, the case raises difficult questions about how local governments vet and oversee the people entrusted with public authority. Dunn held both an administrative leadership role and a sworn reserve officer position at the time of the investigation. What questions do you think local leaders should be asking in the wake of this case?