The prosecution presented evidence Thursday that Ladell Hannon, the former Hazleton police officer accused of trying to kill his estranged wife’s boyfriend back in December 2021, allegedly purchased a half-dozen GPS trackers and performed ominous Google searches ahead of that incident.
First Assistant District Attorney Michael Stine called just two witnesses on Thursday, the fourth day of the retrial accusing Hannon of attempted murder and burglary. They meticulously went over GPS, purchase, and search records they say came from electronic devices purchased by Hannon in the months leading up to that December bombing in Kelayres, Kline Township, Schuylkill County.
The day in Courtroom 1 opened with the continuation of testimony from State Police investigator Nicholas Reese, who on Wednesday, began detailing GPS coordinates allegedly coming from Hannon’s iPhone devices seized during the execution of a search warrant following the bombing.
State Police Cpl. Mark Knock then took the stand for hours of testimony. Knock and Stine showed jurors video surveillance images from a Hazle Twp. Sheetz store. The prosecution was attempting to show Hannon stalking his wife, Danielle, and her boyfriend, Jordan Harrison, the victim of the bombing.
Stine showed jurors videos from Oct. 5 and Oct. 19, two nights when Jordan and Danielle Hannon visited Sheetz after attending classes related to their jobs at paramedics in Nanticoke. Video surveillance obtained from Sheetz and shown to jurors appeared to show Ladell Hannon there at the same time.
The Art of Lock Picking
How did Ladell Hannon know when to be at Sheetz when the other two were there? According to testimony from State Police investigator Andrew Letcavage, the defendant purchased multiple GPS trackers from LandAirSea, via Amazon, allegedly attaching them to their vehicles.
However, no one has testified that Ladell Hannon had any app on his phones that would enable him to track his trackers in real time.
Testimony on Thursday from Letcavage also showed that Hannon allegedly purchased “The Art of Lock Picking”. The defendant is accused of breaking into Jordan’s apartment less than two months prior to the bombing in Kelayres.
However, no testimony on Thursday showed that Hannon ever purchased a lock picking kit or had one in his Hazleton apartment or in his vehicle.
In addition to the GPS trackers and the lock picking guide, testimony from Letcavage also revealed other purchases from Hannon backed by bank and Amazon records. They included a $10.59 sale at Fireworks Warehouse in McAdoo. That’s where the prosecution says Hannon bought green hobby fuse used to detonate fireworks.
Testimony from other police experts earlier in the trial alleged that wire that looked like hobby fuse was found at the scene of the bombing.
Google Searches
Near the end of Thursday, Letcavage testified to Google search history on Hannon’s iPhone 8. Some of the searches were:
- “How much FPE [foot pounds of energy] does a mortar firework have”
- “How many pounds of Tannerite is deadly”
- “10 pounds of Tannerite vs car”
- “What FPE is considered deadly”
- “How many FPT can penetrate a human skull”
- “Foot pounds to penetrate a human skull”
- “How many pounds of Tannerite will fit in a 5 gallon bucket”
- “Sporting goods Stroudsburg”
- “Homemade detonator”
- “Remote firework ignitor”
- “Tannerite for sale”
- “How much FPE does a mortar firework have”
- “What happens to Tannerite after it blows up”
- “How to hack a phone through Wifi”
- “How to hack girlfriend’s iPhone passcode”
- “What would happen if you tase someone in the throat”
- “Lock pick set”
- “Do stores sell lock pick sets”
- “My wife is leaving me because I won’t change”
Many of those searches are key to the prosecution’s case that, it admits, is largely based on circumstantial evidence.
The case is based on the idea that Hannon first broke into Jordan’s apartment in late-October 2021 and less than two months later, detonated an improvised explosive device in a 5-gallon bucket outside that apartment in Kelayres.
That bomb, the prosecution says, was loaded with Tannerite, a brand of exploding targets, and fireworks ingredients which were detonated remotely.
On cross-examination, defense attorney Mark Hinrichs attempted, as he has each day of the retrial, to question the circumstantial evidence.
For instance, the purchase of The Art of Lock Picking was not on Amazon but used Hannon’s USAA debit card, which Hinrichs said came from a joint account with Danielle. Also, the book was found and there was no lock pick set ever recovered from any evidence seized from Ladell Hannon’s vehicle or apartment.
Hinrichs got Letcavage to also admit that Tannerite wasn’t found anywhere in Hannon’s apartment or vehicle and there was no receipt for it. There were also no parts for a remote switch to detonate the bomb found at the scene in Kelayres. No detonators were found either.
COMMONWEALTH v. LADELL HANNON
- Day 1: Key Witnesses Testify in Day 1 of Ladell Hannon Attempted Murder Retrial
- Day 2: Kelayres Neighbors Testify During Day 2 of Ladell Hannon Retrial
- Day 3: Video, GPS Evidence Introduced During Day 3 Testimony at Hannon Retrial
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