The former Army bomb technician federally charged reportedly for keeping explosives at his Overland Park trailer now faces additional charges out of Platte County.
On Wednesday, the prosecutor's office filed one charge of unlawful possession, transport, manufacture, repair or sale of illegal weapons against John Panchalk. The charge stems from discovery of explosives in a trailer Panchalk reportedly kept at a storage facility that led to the explosives at his home.
According to the probable cause, on May 19, officers were sent to the Parkville Self Storage on Highway 45 to investigate a report of property damage. An officer found one of the trailer's ramp doors open and saw two military ammunition boxes inside the trailer and four on the ground behind the trailer, court records show. One of the boxes contained grenade simulators and another had several blasting caps. The third contained a bar of C4 explosives and the fourth was locked.
The facility's owner, Sandy Knoernshild, told officers that Panchalk's rented the space where the trailer was located.
Parkville police called the FBI and KCPD's Bomb and Arson Unit for assistance. Court records show an FBI agent called Overland Park police to conduct a check of Panchalk's house where more ammo cans were found. A search warrant led to the discovery of 31 C4 bars and other explosives at the house on Hauser Street near Pflumm Road.
Johnson County filed charges on May 20 but those were dismissed when the United States Attorney's Office district of Kansas filed charges the same day.
Court records show Panchalk waived his federal preliminary hearing.
Bond in Platte County is set for $10,000.
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Andres Gutierrez can be reached at andres.gutierrez@kshb.com
