PERRY, Okla. — It was meant to be a routine traffic stop.
Trooper Charlie Hanger noticed that the yellow vehicle that Timothy McVeigh was driving along I-35 did not have a registration tag.
It was April 19th, 1995 and Hanger said McVeigh was acting suspicious.
He ended up arresting him for carrying a concealed weapon, only to learn hours later that the man he put in cuffs, was responsible for killing 168 people and injuring more than 600 others.
Fast forward 30 years, and the state of Oklahoma is now recognizing his incredible efforts.
“I’m very honored for this sign and for the recognition of what happened that day. I always wanted to be an ambassador for law enforcement to show what I did that day because it’s what troopers and law enforcement officers do every day across our nation, and it just happened to be that divine intervention put me here at the right spot at the right time that day,” said Hanger.
The ceremony was attended by members of Hanger’s family and area law enforcement.
The sign is located along I-35 heading north at mile marker 202.
2 News also spoke with Charlie’s wife, Beverly, who said not only did she work to get lawmakers to approve the sign, but also for another very important reason.
‘I did it for generations to come because when these kids that are young and ones that haven’t even been born will drive by this sign and they start to google your name, then they will realize what took place here. And they will also realize that there are a lot of evil people in this world, and it got stopped right here,” said Beverly Hanger.
Prior to now, a highway sign like this wasn’t possible unless you were honoring someone who had passed away.
Thanks to a change in the state statute, people like Charlie Hanger can now get the recognition that they deserve while they are still alive.
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