Tuesday, February 15, 2022

Hazleton Police Officer Charged with Attempted Homicide for Kelayres Bombing

A Hazleton man, who is also a City Police Officer, has been charged with attempted homicide for a bombing in Kelayres in December.

According to the Pennsylvania State Police at Frackville, on December 21st, 2021, just before 5:30am, an explosive device detonated outside a home at 3 Center Street in the Kelayres section of Kline Township.

The explosion injured a man, identified as Harrson Jordan, and caused extensive damage to 3 Center Street.  The blast also shattered nearby car windows and broke all the windows in a vacant church across the street.

Jordan suffered a ruptured ear drum, bruising to an ear drum, bleeding from shrapnel to the back of his head and feet, burns to his right calf, and glass and concrete embedded into his head, back, and legs.

At the time, State Police called the incident an attempted homicide but did not have any other details.

A day later,  Ladell Emery Hannon, 31, of Hazleton was arrested and taken into custody for burglarizing the home in October where the explosion also occurred.  Hannon is also a Hazleton City Police Officer who is currently suspended as a result of the arrest.

Police say earlier this year, Jordan was involved with Hannon's estranged wife.  While dating her, he became suspicious that someone had been entering his apartment, where he lived alone, when a picture and frame disappeared.

Jordan purchased a security camera that recorded, who he suspected was Hannon, entering his apartment.  At the time of the incident, after calling Kline Township Police, he opted not to press any charges.

Jordan told State Police after the explosion incident, a which then led to the burglary arrest.

Hannon was arraigned and locked up in Schuylkill County Prison for the burglary on $300,000 straight cash bail.  According to court documents, Hannon has remained in prison since.

On Monday, State Police officially charged Hannon for the explosion.

Court document files show that State Police with the help of license plate readers in Hazleton as well as several security cameras throughout McAdoo and Kelayres, were able to track Hannon driving from his home to Kelayres that morning.

Several security cameras near the explosion site also recorded Hannon parking his vehicle, taking the bucket involved and placing it near Jordan's residence before leaving.  The security cameras also recorded the explosion originating from the bucket.

When questioned, Hannon originally denied being involved but did state "He did not mean to hurt him".

As part of the investigation, while questioning Hannon's estranged wife, she told police that on several occasions, he would show where she and Jordan were.  She granted Troopers to search her vehicle where they found a tracking device hidden on the lower control arm on the front passenger side of the vehicle.

The device was found to have alerted Hannon on his estranged wife's whereabouts particularly when she left her home, place of work, and school.

As a result, Hannon was officially charged with attempted criminal homicide, aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person, weapons of mass destruction, arson, causing catastrophe, criminal mischief, and possessing the instrument of a crime.

Prison Photo/Fox56

Scene Photos provided by McAdoo Fire Company