DONEGAL TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Police say they arrested a man who claimed to have a bomb inside a vehicle along the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Westmoreland County.
Court records obtained by Channel 11 show state police saw a pickup truck parked along the Turnpike near the intersection with Route 31 in Donegal Township Saturday just beofe 5 p.m.
Jeffrey Robert Sever, 46, was standing on the roadway, waving his arms at passing traffic, state police say.
When troopers approached him, Sever allegedly held up an electronic device with an antenna and said, “There’s a bomb in the truck.”
Troopers went to detain Sever, but they claim he resisted, striking one trooper and trying to grab his gun.
Due to there being a possible explosive device near the highway, troopers searched Sever’s vehicle. They didn’t find an explosive, but records say they did find a pistol wrapped in a platic bag in the center console.
A later search warrant yielded three cellular devices, including the one purported to be a detonation device.
Troopers later interviews a man who said he’d let Sever stay at his home. Sever allegedly took the man’s vehicle and his gun without permission.
Police note that Sever is barred from having a gun due toi a prior conviction.
Sever is facing multiple charges, including facsimile weappn of mass destruction, possession of a firearm prohibited and disarming a law enforcement officer, online court records.
He’s being held in the Westmoreland County Prison and has been unable to post bail, which is set at $25,000.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 10.
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