Three charged with trying to sell C-4

BRADFORD, P.A. (WIVB) - Police call C-4 a weapon of mass destruction and say someone was trying to sell it in our area.

Officers were tipped off by a confidential informant before it could land in the wrong hands.

Bradford Police Chief Christopher Lucco said, "To put it in perspective, an amount the size of a pencil will blow a door off of a house."

Police arrested 27-year-old Jarred Major, 28-year-old John Vanyo and 30-year-old Rechelle Judd. All three are facing charges in connection with the sale and possession of about a pound of C-4 explosive.

"These individuals were willing to sell this to anybody that had the money," Chief Lucco said.

Authorities say they learned of this only days earlier and then arranged a controlled purchase of the explosive using a confidential informant. The deal went down Saturday morning in a parking lot in Bradford.

Chief Lucco said, "Once the transaction was completed, we swarmed in on the vehicle and took both parties into custody."

Police say they learned that the explosives had been stolen two months earlier from Vanyo's employer, which according to Chief Lucco uses C-4 for well blasting.

"I believe Vanyo's sole purpose in stealing it was probably to make money. I don't believe he was planning on using it for anything other than to make money with it," Chief Lucco said.

The three individuals were arraigned over the weekend and sent to the McKean County Jail where they're being held on $250,000 bail. They're due back in court on Thursday.