Did Jerry Dyer have sex with underage teen? Fresno voters deserve to know

Do Fresno voters have the right to know if former police chief Jerry Dyer had sex with an underage teen decades ago?

The issue of that allegation leveled against Dyer from events in the 1980s came up this past week on a podcast by former City Council member Craig Scharton and Paul Swearengin, a pastor, radio show host and husband to former Mayor Ashley Swearengin. They interviewed Dyer because he is running for mayor in the March primary.

Scharton asked Dyer to discuss a relationship he might have had with a 16-year-old girl when he was a 26-year-old officer in the Fresno Police Department. The now 60-year-old Dyer said the podcast was not the right venue or at the appropriate time for him to answer. He later told The Bee’s Brianna Calix that “political opponents and longtime haters” are raising the question.

“Given this, I will not be discussing these smears now or in the future,” he said.

That stance will only guarantee that the allegation will dog Dyer throughout the campaign for mayor leading to the March primary. As an example, someone recently defaced a Dyer campaign billboard. The words “rapist” and “murder” were spray painted on it.

The best thing for Dyer, and for Fresno voters, is for him to come clean on what happened — as painful as that might be in the short-term.

‘Sinner’ in his 20s

American politics is littered with instances of leaders committing sexual wrongs. From President Bill Clinton, who was impeached over his dalliance with a White House intern, to Democrat Gary Hart’s ill-fated presidential campaign after he was discovered to have an extra-marital affair, to countless legislators caught with sex workers — Fresno Democrat Jim Costa in 1986, for example — voters have become accustomed to their leaders having feet of clay.

Dyer has said as much about himself when outlining what he was like in his 20s. In an address he made at Northwest Church in 1999, Dyer admitted to having a long-running affair and engaging in public fighting and excessive drinking. As to whether he ever had sex with a teen, however, Dyer has not ever admitted to that.

Dyer told The Bee that he was a “sinner” then, and only by accepting the Christian faith did he find a way out of that lifestyle.

Dyer says he became a changed man, and that the people who had a right to know “were the people that chose me,” such as his wife. “And I have fulfilled my obligation to them.”

Given that Dyer is running for mayor, he is asking the majority of the electorate to choose him, so he has an obligation to his new potential bosses: the people. This is especially so in the #MeToo era. Male leaders across a wide range of fields have had to face allegations of sexual misconduct from their past.

No public result

In his response to Calix, Dyer said the allegation had been publicly vetted. When he applied to become police chief, Dyer told the mayor and the city manager about issues of his past. Dyer also underwent internal affairs investigations into his conduct, and was never criminally charged with any misconduct. If Dyer indeed did have sexual relations with a 16-year-old girl, that would have been a crime.

But those were not public investigations. And former Mayor Alan Autry is no longer Dyer’s boss. Rather, the voters will be, should they elect him. How can voters do their due diligence on Dyer if he won’t let us know?

To put it another way, if Dyer was hiring a new applicant for a post in the police department, would he want to know about any prior misconduct? Of course.

Issue is relevant

When Dyer contemplated running for mayor, he had to know this issue would surface. The Bee in 2001 had an in-depth report on the underage-sex allegation. For sure, there are Dyer haters in Fresno. Being police chief for nearly two decades means making some enemies. So why did he not have a better strategy for getting in front of this issue? You would think he would have crafted an answer to the inevitable question. As it is, he is letting the so-called haters define him.

Dyer says he wants to discuss what he considers the important city issues: having safe streets, good-paying jobs and being a united city.

But as long as he is the issue, that worthwhile discussion cannot happen.

Voters do not expect their leaders to be perfect, and they can be forgiving. But voters demand honesty so they can do due diligence about the candidates.

If Dyer is serious about becoming the next mayor of California’s fifth-largest city, he would do well to reconsider his stance and get right with the people he wants to give him votes.

This story was originally published December 6, 2019 at 2:59 PM with the headline "Did Jerry Dyer have sex with underage teen? Fresno voters deserve to know."