Above: A satellite image of Stephen D. Esolen's residence. Esolen buried 20 pounds of plastic explosives nearby, police say. Via Google Earth.
A 24-year-old man stockpiled a large amount of bomb-making material in his home and on another property he had burglarized in the Delaware County town of Hancock, police say.
Left: Stephen D. Esolen. Photo via the New York State Police.
Stephen D. Esolen was arrested on Tuesday, March 17 after New York State Police and Delaware County Sheriff's Office investigators discovered that he had buried 20 pounds of powerful C4 plastic explosives near his home on County Route 67 in Hancock, according to a State Police press release.
A pound of C4 can demolish a truck, according to HowStuffWorks.com.
Police found detonators and igniters in Esolen's home, as well as a rifle with a homemade silencer and some stolen jewelry, the press release says.
Esolen had also been stockpiling bomb-making supplies in an estate property he had broken into, police say. On Wednesday, March 18, police searched that property and found "numerous smoke grenades, gas grenades, incendiary grenades, signal flares, packs of fuse igniter and 2 aerial bombs," the press release states.
Esolen appeared to have no collaborators; police say that there are currently no additional charges or defendants in his case.
According to Esolen's Facebook page, he graduated from Hancock Central High School in 2008.
Esolen was charged with felony burglary in the second and third degrees and three counts of felony criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree. He was arraigned in the town of Hancock is being held on $50,000 cash bail in the Delaware County Jail.
