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Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Nazareth Resident Plugs a Few Stockertown Homes

Morganelli and Officer Schwab
Nazareth resident Timothy Frey, age 61, was charged yesterday with shooting up a Stockertown home while target shooting in June at the Stockertown Rod and Gun Club. Shooting a weapon into an occupied home is a  third degree felony with a maximum penalty of seven years and a $15,000 fine.He's also been charged with two counts of recklessly endangering another person, a second degree misdemeanor carrying a maximum sentence of  two years and a $5,000 fine. Magisterial District Judge John Capobianco set bail at $25,000, unsecured, and a preliminary hearing has been set for September 6.

These charges stem from a complaint first made from David Gava on June 21, who claimed that a 9mm caliber bullet had hit his home. That was followed by a second complaint from Stephanie Branning, who told police that the previous day, a stray 9mm round had hit her garbage cans.

Stockertown Police Officer Eric Schwab, along with County Detective Gerard  Walsh, began an investigation and noticed numerous 9mm rounds at the gun club, along with a live round. Thanks to a security camera installed by the gun club after a previous investigation, investigators reviewed footage revealing that someone, later identified as Frey, was shooting outside of the designated shooting area. He also appeared to be bump-firing his ASR rifle, which simulates automatic fire.

Forensic testing by the Pennsylvania State Police reveal that the rounds found at the Gava and Branning homes came from Frey's rifle.  

Frey has also been banned from the Stockertown Rod and Gun Club. Morganelli commended the club for installing the security camera, which led police to Frey. He also complimented the thorough police work from Officer Schwab and Detective Walsh, and recognized the investigative journalism done previously by formerWFMZ reporter Hillary Lane.
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8 comments:

  1. AnonymousAugust 16, 2016 at 1:59 AM

    Weather its Nazareth residents or police they seem to show a history of bad conduct at that shooting range club.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousAugust 16, 2016 at 6:05 AM

    This nut deserves jail time. Knowingly firing a weapon at homes or at other objects that could hurt of kill innocent people needs to be punished severely. At least a year in jail to tech this nut a lesson.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousAugust 16, 2016 at 7:12 AM

    Gotta be a Trump supporter.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousAugust 16, 2016 at 7:28 AM

    Bernie,

    Can you check. PA State Police had a Corporal who is from that area by same name. He worked at Stockertown and Belfast before he retired- Is that the same man?

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousAugust 16, 2016 at 7:59 AM

    Whatever the media does, DO NO GIVE ANY CREDIT TO THE GUN CLUB OR ITS OFFICERS for making the gun club a safer place. Channel 69 took all the credit for catching this culprit. The "club" was a safe place to go to until these "NUT JOBS" came there with their automatic guns and disobeyed the rules. The Stockertown Police use that range. Most Municipal Police Departments utilize the free service provided by the Sportsmen's Clubs. It only takes one idiot to violate the rules and bring bad publicity to a great organization. There are tens of thousands of gun owners throughout Pennsylvania that used a rifle range this week and they were all law abiding, but lets concentrate on one nut job. This is what the anti-gun fanatics and the media do best.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Bernie O'HareAugust 16, 2016 at 12:48 PM

    7:28, I will ask around.

    7:59, I believe I noted that the gun club assisted in the investigation and banned the culprit. It is their security camera that solved this case. DA Morganelli complimented the gun club several times. The gun club is in my view an asset, and you failed to mention its annual program for children. Frey did not make the gun club look bad.

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousAugust 16, 2016 at 8:25 PM

    I think your referring to former Nazareth police officer Ben ratzotto who got arrested for capping rounds off at the gun range while on duty, out of his jurisdiction and not a club member. Classy!

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousAugust 17, 2016 at 8:55 PM

    the gun club acted responsibly and kudos to the people involved.
    the real question is whether or not the "NUT JOB" will be sentenced at a high enough level to be banned from owning firearms.
    a misdemeanor plea would allow him to continue to own firearms.

    ReplyDelete

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