by Jeff Saunders
Reporter
Macedonia -- A Harper Lane man is facing a felony charge in connection with the afternoon explosion that led to the evacuation of about 100 of his neighbors April 22, but caused no reported injuries.
Jason M. Peltz, 35, pleaded not guilty April 23 to one count of possession of dangerous ordinance, a second-degree felony, in the Cuyahoga Falls Municipal Court. He was being held in Macedonia City Jail April 28 on a $25,000 bond and is scheduled for an April 30 pretrial hearing, according to court officials.
An attorney for Peltz could not be found by the News Leader.
Fire Chief Tim Black said Peltz and his mother were in the house when the explosion went off in their back yard. Black said no one was injured.
"It took out the rear windows, took all the kitchen cabinets off the exterior wall and damaged several nearby homes with shrapnel," Black said.
Macedonia Police Lt. Vince Yakopovich estimated that the blast created a hole as much as 6 feet deep.
"The actual hole was maybe 4 or 5 feet across, but the depression where grass was blown away was about 12 feet across," he said.
In the aftermath, at least one neighbor was left to clean up her home.
"I'm not happy," Diana Kozar, a next-door neighbor of Peltz', said April 23. "I'm still checking all the broken stuff around my house."
Black said that about 100 residents were evacuated. They were allowed to return at about 7:30 p.m.
Black said the Macedonia police, the Summit County Sheriff's Office bomb squad and FBI Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents were at the scene. The Northfield Village and Northfield Center fire departments also responded, said Black.
ATF Special Agent Kimberly Riddell declined to comment about the investigation.
"It's an ongoing matter," she said.
Special Agent Scott Wilson in the FBI's Cleveland office said two agents were sent to the scene.
"We did respond, but we aren't actively involved in the investigation," said Wilson.
Lt. Bruce Kovack, commander of the Summit County Sheriff's Office bomb squad, said that the explosion was caused by the mixing of about 5 pounds of chemicals, including aluminum powder, sulfur and another ingredient. Kovack said Peltz allegedly told them he was making flash powder for fireworks from a procedure he learned over the Internet.
Kovack alleged Peltz told police he had purchased the chemicals over the Internet and was using a mixer he had made himself.
"All the chemicals he used are legal, but once they are mixed, it becomes illegal," said Kovack.
Kovack alleged Peltz told police he had made fireworks for at least two years.
Kovack said the bomb squad and ATF agents took about 15 pounds of flash powder Peltz had mixed and stored in a 5-gallon bucket to the now-closed Boston Mills Country Club, where it was detonated.
Macedonia Police Lt. Vince Yakopovich said it was a "good bet" that there was enough unmixed chemicals to make another 300 pounds of explosives.
"He had enough to make thousands of M-80 and H-100 devices," said Yakopovich, who declined to comment on what Peltz may have planned on doing with the devices.
In addition, said Yakopovich, police confiscated fewer than 50 cardboard tubes for M-80 devices, but 13,800 tubes for H-100s, which are double the size of the M-80s.
Rec center houses evacuees
Macedonia Parks and Recreation Director Angela Gmerek estimated that about 30 Harper Lane residents showed up at the Macedonia Family Recreation Center, which was the designated evacuation center.
"Some people weren't home when it happened, and kids in school were bused here," said Gmerek.
Gmerek said some people were at the rec center for up to six hours. The American Red Cross brought in food in the afternoon and Papa John's on Route 82 donated pizzas for dinner. People kept busy with activities, such as playing pool and table tennis.
"We tried to make everyone as comfortable as possible," said Gmerek.
Kozar said she left home shortly before the explosion and returned to Harper Lane about 20 minutes later.
"A police officer escorted me to my home to check on my dogs," she said. "They said they would be all right, so I left them there and went to my parents' house.
She said one window was shattered, material on the surface of the chimney "disintegrated," shingles buckled and siding was badly damaged.
"I just noticed my floors are separated from the walls," she said. "There's a gap between the tiles and the wall."
Kozar alleged Peltz would periodically set off fireworks, including skyrockets.
"We just assumed he bought them at a fireworks store. We never asked him about them," she said.
Harper Lane is just west of Interstate 271 and north of Valley View Road. It's about a mile northwest of City Hall.
Mayor Don Kuchta said he was just heading to his office from his home, several miles away from Harper Lane, when he said he "could feel" the explosion.
"The last time I felt something like that was when we had the earthquake a few years back," he said.
E-mail: jsaunders@recordpub.com
Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3169