A Tryon man is facing a felony firearms charge after what has been described as a reported “gun battle” between him and another individual.
Cary Cline, 61, was formally charged in Lincoln County District Court July 12 this year with possession of firearm after former felony conviction.
He appeared before Special Judge Emily Mueller on June 28 and she set his bond at $100,000.
He made his initial appearance on July 18 and Judge Mueller has scheduled his pre-preliminary hearing for Sep. 26.
Cline is accused on June 27 of having in his possession and within his control a handgun after he had been convicted of theft in a case in Sagadahoc, the state of Maine on May 1, 1991.
Jason Holasek, investigator with the 23rd Judicial District DA’s Office, said that Cline was arrested on S. 3410 Rd near Tryon around 11 p.m. on July 8.
Holasek said Cline was arrested because he was in possession of a firearm after former conviction of a felony.
The DA investigator, in a probable cause affidavit, stated that officers were sent on June 27, 2024 just before 3 p.m. after 911 dispatch received a call from Ricky Duncan saying he was shot by Cary Cline.
Lincoln County deputies were dispatched to the Tryon Fire Department and when they arrived made contact with Duncan who said the other guy was shooting at him multiple times. Duncan was reportedly airlifted to OU Medical Center for a gunshot wound to the abdomen.
Holasek further states that Lincoln County Dispatch received a call from a woman who identified herself as Cary Cline’s wife, Sharilyn Cline, who said Cary Cline was there when Duncan was shot.
Cary Cline got on the phone and dispatched asked him if had shot his neighbor. According to the affidavit, Cline said, “We were in a gun battle.” He noted he was driving his wife’s truck and told dispatch if that firearm wasn’t in the truck, “I would be dead.”
When deputies arrived at 780129 S. 3410 Road in Tryon, they made contact with Cline who was standing in his driveway with his hands in the air.
Deputies detained Cline until investigators arrived on the scene, Holasek said. Deputies reported that Sharilyn Cline refused entry into the residence, but handed them an unloaded .40 caliber handgun missing a magazine.
She told Holasek that they had purchased the handgun to shoot coyotes.
Holasek applied for and was granted a search warrant for the residence. Investigators discovered an empty handgun magazine next to two live .40 caliber rounds, an empty black holster, one Marlin .22 caliber model 60 rifle, a .22 caliber Stevens rile model 87B and a Savage rifle model A17.