Police handle pipe bombs found at accident scene
HENRY CLAY TWP. – A Uniontown man was charged with multiple felony offenses after being found in possession of four homemade pipe bombs. Derek McKulka, 22, of 249 Rankin Airshaft Road, was charged with having weapons of mass destruction, causing or risking catastrophe and arson and related offenses Saturday afternoon before Magisterial District Judge Ronald J. Haggerty.
State police said emergency crews found the bombs after McKulka wrecked his car along Route 40 at 2:18 a.m. Saturday, two miles east of Dinner Bell Road.
During a noon press conference at the Uniontown barracks Saturday, Lt. Bernard Petrovsky said McKulka and a passenger were traveling east on Route 40 when the Cadillac Seville McKulka was driving struck a guide rail, forcing the vehicle into the westbound lane.
The passenger was identified as Arron Vail, 22, of 592 N. Gallatin Ave. Ext., Uniontown, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed by trooper John Krause.
Police said Robert Anderson of Markleysburg witnessed the accident. In the affidavit, Krause said Anderson told police he saw McKulka open the door for Vail to get out of the vehicle after the accident.
Anderson, according to police, said someone in a white car drove past the scene of the accident and then turned around and came back. McKulka allegedly removed several items from the trunk of his car, including a gun. McKulka allegedly gave the gun to the people in the car, who then left the scene.
The affidavit states that Anderson then saw McKulka run into the woods near the accident with the items he removed from his trunk.
When emergency crews arrived, firefighters found a pipe bomb lying on the ground near McKulka’s vehicle.
Krause said Assistant Chief Walter James Wolfe of the Markleysburg Volunteer Fire Department discovered the bomb and brought it to the attention of troopers who were at the scene.
Brian VanSickle, Farmington Volunteer Fire Department chief, was with Wolfe when the bomb was discovered. VanSickle said he and Wolfe found the bomb lying under the guide rail after McKulka and Vail were removed from the immediate area.
“He asked me what I thought, and I told him I think it is a bomb,” VanSickle said. “It was a shock. You respond to what you think is a routine vehicle accident and you come across a pipe bomb. It is scary.”
VanSickle said firefighters do not touch, move or relocate explosive devices.
“Once we identify an explosive device, we deny entry to anyone,” he said.
Krause said the state police Hazardous Device and Explosives Unit out of Hershey was called in. Route 40 was shut down from Dinner Bell Road to Pike School Road for almost eight hours as crews searched the area for more bombs. The road reopened around 10:30 a.m.
Three more explosives, according to police, were found in the immediate area.
Petrovsky said three of the bombs were made from metal pipe and were approximately 6 to 8 inches in length and 3 to 4 inches in circumference.
The fourth bomb was made from PVC pipe and was about the same size as the others, he said.
Police said the bombs were disposed of at the scene.
In addition to the felony charges, McKulka was also charged with driving under the influence, possession of a prohibited offensive weapon, recklessly endangering another person and careless driving.
Vail was not charged with any offenses as of Saturday. Police said Vail was treated at a local hospital for moderate head wounds following the accident and released.
McKulka was placed in Fayette County Prison after failing to post a $25,000 straight cash bond. His preliminary hearing is set for April 12 before Magisterial District Judge Wendy Dennis.
Police would not speculate on why McKulka had the explosives, but they did say the investigation is ongoing.
An Internet search of the term pipe bomb produced more than 2.5 million hits and the first site given by an online search engine provided specific details on the construction of the homemade explosive device.
VanSickle, who has been Farmington’s chief for six years and a firefighter for 15, said this incident coupled with an incident earlier in the week were the first two of his career involving explosives.
In that case, he said a farmer found about 20 sticks of 50-year-old dynamite in his barn while cleaning.
The Allegheny County Bomb Squad was called in and the dynamite was detonated in a field, VanSickle said.