Don't bring a gun to a cellphone fight might be the lesson learned by one Waukesha woman who's facing criminal charges for allegedly doing just that.
Betty Dyer, 51, was charged Monday, July 18, in Waukesha County Circuit Court with disorderly conduct (use of a dangerous weapon) and possession of a firearm while intoxicated, both misdemeanors. Online court records show she's free on a $2,000 signature bond.
According to a criminal complaint, Dyer grabbed a gun and pounded on one of her neighbor's doors July 16 in the 2100 block of Kensington Drive, demanding to be let in, after the neighbor accidentally damaged Dyer's phone when tossing it to another person.
Dyer reportedly asked the neighbor, a man, to remove his phone number from her device and the man tried to toss the phone to the third neighbor who said she knew how to remove the number. The toss was short and the phone's screen cracked when it hit the ground, according to the complaint.
After the screen broke, Dyer reportedly grabbed her Bersa Thunder .380-caliber handgun and marched over to the man's apartment, insisting he open the door, the complaint said. At one point, according to the complaint, she identified herself as a Waukesha police officer in an attempt to get inside the man's home.
Officers arrived shortly thereafter and arrested Dyer, who allegedly told them she had been drinking vodka and soda 'all day' along with several beers. A preliminary breath test reportedly indicated Dyer had a blood alcohol content of 0.277 — more than three times the 0.08 limit considered legal proof of intoxication.
Dyer's gun was loaded when police found it, the complaint said, and there was a second loaded magazine lying next to it.
Court records show that Dyer made her initial court appearance July 18. Her next hearing is scheduled for Aug. 22. She could face up to about a year in jail bars and $11,000 fine, if convicted.