Second Guilty Plea in Oil Field Explosives Theft

TYLER – A second guilty plea in a Tyler federal court case involving oil field explosives theft. Brandon Keith Uzzel, 30, of Tyler pleaded guilty to an information charging him with theft of explosives from a federally licensed dealer. According to information presented in court, on September 25, 2009, Uzzel was involved in the burglary of a locked storage unit at Owens Oil Tools, a Tyler oil field equipment company. The secured storage unit contained approximately 400 pounds of explosives, which were taken from the property and hidden. All of the explosives have since been recovered and secured. Craig Elroy Knight, 34, of Tyler, pleaded guilty to the same charges on September 8. Uzzel faces up to 10 years in federal prison and is in custody pending sentencing.