Fort Wayne Man Charles R. Byers Gets 150 Months for Meth, Gun

Fort Wayne, Indiana — Charles R. Byers, 45, was hit with a 150-month federal prison sentence after pleading guilty to possessing more than 5 grams of methamphetamine and a firearm in connection with drug trafficking, federal prosecutors confirmed Thursday.

Byers, a repeat offender with a criminal record stretching back to 1995, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty. He will serve 150 months behind bars, followed by five years of supervised release.

The bust went down in November 2018 near the high-crime intersection of Coliseum Boulevard and Interstate 69. Authorities found Byers in possession of multiple grams of methamphetamine — packaged and ready for street distribution — along with a loaded firearm.

Documents filed in the case detail Byers’ long history of felony convictions, painting a pattern of criminal behavior that culminated in the 2018 drug and gun charges. Federal prosecutors emphasized the danger posed by armed drug traffickers in urban hotspots.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives led the investigation, working in tandem with the Fort Wayne Police Department. The collaboration targeted individuals trafficking drugs while armed — a federal offense carrying stiff mandatory penalties.

Assistant United States Attorney Anthony W. Geller prosecuted the case. U.S. Attorney Kirsch praised the outcome as a blow to drug-related violence in northeast Indiana. Byers is currently in federal custody, en route to a Bureau of Prisons facility.

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