| Fire Marshals from the Harrisonburg Fire Department have charged two individuals in connection to the small explosion that took place earlier this week. On January 28 around 6:30 a.m., fire and police responded to the 200 block of Chesapeake Avenue for the report of a small explosion. No one was injured and the property damage was very minor. Twenty-five-year-old Andrew J. Lavedan faces three counts of manufacturing, possessing, or using an explosive device (felony); conspiring to manufacture, possess, distribute or use an explosive device (felony); possession of stolen property (felony); and trespassing on a train (misdemeanor). Twenty-one-year-old Joshua A. Tripp faces charges of possessing, manufacturing, or using an explosive device (felony) and trespassing on a train (misdemeanor). Although all precautions were taken due to the explosion taking place on railroad tracks, it appears as though this was an isolated incident with a homemade explosive device. The investigation into this incident is ongoing. |