CLINTON TWP., Pa. (EYT) – A Kennerdell man is facing multiple charges after he was reportedly caught with two homemade bombs following an incident where he allegedly brandished a knife and threatened to kill his mother on Tuesday.
Court documents indicate 33-year-old Kenneth Sam Sterner was arraigned in front of Magisterial District Judge Patrick E. Lowrey at 2:10 p.m. on Tuesday, November 9, on the following charges:
– Aggravated Assault – Attempts to cause or causes Bodily Injury with deadly weapon, Felony 2
– Risking Catastrophe, Felony 3
– Terroristic Threats With Intent To Terrorize Another, Misdemeanor 1
– Unlawful Restraint/ Involuntary Servitude, Misdemeanor 1
– Make Repairs/Sell/Etc Offensive Weapons, Misdemeanor 1
– Recklessly Endangering Another Person, Misdemeanor 2
– False Imprisonment, Misdemeanor 2
– Simple Assault, Misdemeanor 2
– Possession of Controlled Substance, Misdemeanor
– Use/Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Misdemeanor
He was lodged in the Venango County Jail with bail denied due to being “a harm to himself and others,” according to the court document.
The charges stem from an incident that took place in Clinton Township on Tuesday morning.
According to a criminal complaint, around 8:11 a.m on Tuesday, November 9, Franklin-based State Police were dispatched to a residence on Jared Lane in Kennerdell, in Clinton Township, Venango County, for a report of a domestic incident.
The complaint indicates police arrived at the scene and found that Kenneth Sterner had been in a verbal argument with his mother and then reportedly brandished a knife and made threats to harm her.
Sterner had refused to allow the victim out of the house, brandished a knife, and told her “snitches get stitches,” according to the complaint.
The complaint notes Sterner reportedly had a white plastic bag in his hands prior to fleeing the property, and when police searched the outside of the residence, they found a white plastic bag near the residence in a pile of logs which the victim then verified was the same bag Sterner had been carrying when he fled.
According to the complaint, the bag was found to contain two large homemade explosive devices which appeared to have external cardboard bodies, end caps made of Oriented Strand Board (OSB) wood that were hot glued to the ends, and green ignition fuses into the center of them. Police also found a hot glue gun and a sheet of OSB wood that had circular holes missing that matched the end caps of the devices.
During a search of the house, police also located drugs and drug paraphernalia in plain view that reportedly belonged to Sterner, the complaint states.
Sterner was subsequently questioned and reportedly talked to police about “proper ways to blow up a stump with the explosives.” The complaint indicates Sterner also admitted to having wicks and gunpowder under his bed and in a cabinet in his bedroom.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, November 17, in Venango County Central Court with Judge Lowrey presiding.
