HONESDALE, PA — Wayne County District Attorney A.G. Howell announced charges filed against Jeffrey R. Johnson, 42, of  Hancock, NY. Johnson is charged with Weapons of Mass Destruction (F2), five (5) counts of Unlawful  Possession of a Firearm (F2), Risking Catastrophe (F3), Possession of Controlled Substance (M),  Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (M), and a variety of game violations.  

The criminal complaint alleges on February 15,  the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department requested assistance serving a warrant for Johnson. During their search for Johnson, they discovered white-tailed deer hanging in the backyard with no visible harvest tags. They also discovered numerous deer parts,  wild turkey parts, and remains of a black bear. In Johnson’s vehicle, they found rifles, ammunition, and drug paraphernalia. It was confirmed that Johnson did not have an active hunting license and was not permitted to own firearms. Upon search of the residence, they discovered several more rifles and drug paraphernalia. A search of a camper on the property came up with more paraphernalia, pill bottles with  Johnson’s name on them, and what appeared to be synthetic marijuana. A suspected pipe-style bomb was discovered as well. The Scranton bomb squad was notified and detonated the bomb on location.  Scranton bomb squad indicated that the bomb was capable of being detonated as designed. The criminal complaint is enclosed with this press release. 

*The filing of criminal charges is not evidence of guilt but simply a description of the charge made by the  Commonwealth against a Defendant. A Defendant charged with a crime is presumed innocent until a jury  returns a unanimous finding that the Commonwealth has proven the Defendant’s guilt beyond a  reasonable doubt or until the Defendant enters a guilty plea to the charges.*