ROWLEY — Police charged a local man with blowing up a propane tank that created a bang loud enough to be heard a mile away.
Joseph O'Malley, 24, of 46 Bradford St., was arraigned yesterday on charges of using an explosive, having an illegal open fire and disturbing the peace. He has a pre-trial hearing on Nov. 19.
Police responded to reports of an explosion at 46 Bradford St. on Sept. 22 and determined someone had been burning cans of chemicals and a propane cylinder. According to police reports, O'Malley had been warned about a similar burn on Sept. 8. O'Malley was not at the scene on Sept. 22, although neighbors reported a person matching his description running away after the explosion.
According to reports, when police talked with O'Malley later that evening, he claimed he knew about the fire but was not present during the explosion. O'Malley said he had a witness who would say he was not at the scene, but O'Malley did not elaborate, according to reports.
