No charges expected from explosion

Published 4:34 pm Friday, April 13, 2012

ZUNI—No criminal charges are expected in connection with a March 22 explosion that did $75,000 damage to a Zuni home, said Isle of Wight County Sheriff’s Capt. Rick Gaddis.

The sheriff’s office has not determined the cause for explosion and is waiting for results from a Virginia State Police investigation and lab tests, Gaddis said.

The 6:30 a.m. explosion at 6208 W. Blackwater Road occurred in a room that resident Lee Freeman used for reloading ammunition. None of the four residents were hurt.

Freeman had just walked out of the room when the explosion occurred. He told The Tidewater News he had no idea what caused it.

Gaddis noted that no one was in the room when the powder ignited, except for an opossum that Lee’s wife, Donna, believes the dog may have chased into the home. They were attempting to get the opossum out of the home at the time of the explosion. The opossum was killed.

Charles Pennington owns the home, which was insured. He had rented it to the Freemans for 2½ years.