Suspects arraigned in home explosion

One of the two men charged lives next door to the house that exploded.
By ED RUNYAN
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Fire Chief Ken Nussle wonders how two men arrested on burglary charges in the explosion of a Mercer Avenue Northeast house last week kept from blowing themselves up.
James T. McElrath, 19, of 204 Atlantic St. N.E. and Michael A. McVicker, 20, of 5000 Palmyra Rd., Lordstown, were arraigned Monday in Warren Municipal Court on felony burglary charges. Both pleaded innocent and their bonds were set at $25,000.
The crime
They were arrested Saturday and confessed the burglary to Warren fire investigator Marc Titus, a police report states. Investigators said the two broke into the house through a basement window to steal copper pipe. While in the house, the men ripped out a gas line, which led to the explosion, the report said.
Nussle said it is not clear whether the men were trying to steal the black type of pipe that gas lines are made of or just copper plumbing pipe.
Nussle said investigators found that copper pipe had been removed from the basement area and that the gas pipe had been tampered with. It appeared that the gas had not been turned off to the house, he said.
The men appear to have broken the gas line while it was carrying gas and were fortunate to have escaped before the house exploded, he said, adding that breaking a pipe containing natural gas would produce a hissing sound and a natural gas smell.
Nussle said witnesses indicated that the men were outside of the home for at least a few minutes before the vacant house exploded at around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday. The home, owned by Robert J. Stahl Jr., of Perkinswood Drive Southeast, was destroyed in the blast, which also caused some fire damage.
City officials took the structure down Thursday to protect anyone from getting hurt in the debris.
Odor of gas reported
While at the scene Thursday, McElrath told a reporter that he and another man were installing a fence around the home at 204 Atlantic St. where he lived when they smelled gas and called Dominion East Ohio Gas about it. Nussle confirmed that the gas company had received a call about a gas smell and was en route when the explosion occurred. McElrath's house is next door to 844 Mercer.
Fire officials said one minor injury was reported because of the blast. Kimberly Barnett, also of 204 Atlantic St., said she was walking past the house on her way to a baby-sitting job when the explosion occurred, sending glass toward her and cutting her legs.
The blast damaged the side of Barnett's home as well as the house on the other side, at 836 Mercer Ave. Cynthia Stambolia-Creak of 836 Mercer said she was also bruised and cut when the explosion knocked debris through her window.