Bryan Berres, 32, of Tahlequah, appeared in federal court Monday for his initial appearance on charges of possessing an unregistered firearm – specifically, a 1.5-second-delay flash-bang. He remains in custody of federal authorities, and is set to appear in court Thursday for a probable cause hearing.

According to a criminal complaint against Berres, the suspect is known by federal investigators to have an “extensive” knowledge of explosives, and has been involved in the legal manufacture of what has been described as exploding targets.

Berres also allegedly operates a website that includes the words “blow shit up legally” in its web address, and investigators said he uses the website to sell his exploding targets.

Court documents revealed Monday that Berres “has been contacted numerous times in the past” by authorities with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol Bomb Squad, Tahlequah police, Fort Gibson police, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives – but was always found to be in compliance.

ATF investigators said an employee at AmeriGas Propane Company in Tahlequah noticed Berres walk up to the entrance and remove his backpack on May 9. Berres asked to use a phone to call his wife, and seemed “catatonic.” Berres then asked employees to call an ambulance to take him to a veterans hospital in Muskogee.

Paramedics arrived and were handed a knife by Berres, who asked to be taken to the hospital. He also told medics there was a firearm in his backpack.

Tahlequah police were called to the scene to secure the weapons, and medics told investigators they were concerned that Berres was “delusional.”

Berres told police about the firearm, but also said the backpack contained a flash-bang. The suspect allegedly told police that federal authorities had been to his home and photographed some items, and had questioned him in connection with a deadly shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn.

Berres was transported to the veterans hospital in Muskogee and AmeriGas was evacuated. Authorities closed U.S. Highway 62 and evacuated homes and businesses in the vicinity of the propane company.

The ATF and OHP bomb squad responded and eventually discovered the flash-bang, two cans of black powder, a cannon fuse, a canister round, 36 electric matches with leg wires, about 60 feet of quick-match fuse, an unloaded semi-automatic pistol, two loaded magazines, two boxes containing 83 rounds of .38-caliber ammunition, and two bags containing 100 rounds each of assorted ammunition.

Bomb squad members rendered the explosive device safe and determined it had a live fusing system.

During an interview with members of the District 27 Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force, Berres allegedly said he was “going into the woods on 82 to get the government out of my body.”

He told authorities he had the flash-bang in his possession because he didn’t want to leave it home near children.

Investigators determined Berres had enough components in the backpack “readily available” to assemble a destructive device.

A check with the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record showed Berres had no items registered in his name, court documents indicate.

If convicted, Berres could face up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and up to a $250,000 fine.

  JOSH NEWTON