You might remember the "Breaking News" and sensational headlines about a Charlotte Douglas International Airport Federal Air Traffic Controller with a pipe bomb.
November 3, 2017 — Two Charlotte residents have been charged with manufacturing and possessing a weapon of mass destruction, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.
Paul Dandan, 30, has been charged with possession of a weapon of mass destruction, acquiring a weapon of mass destruction and transporting a weapon of mass destruction.
Derrick Fells, 39, has been charged with three counts of manufacturing a weapon of mass destruction and one count of possession of a weapon of mass destruction.
CMPD detectives in the special investigations unit, the arson unit and the bomb squad are working with the FBI to investigate the two individuals.
Around 10:30 a.m., CMPD officers responded to 315 Minitree Lane in response to reports of a person in possession of a homemade explosive device. CMPD bomb squad also responded and confirmed that the suspect did in fact have a homemade pipe bomb.
During the investigation, police determined that Fells had made the device. He admitted to building the bomb with the intent to use it against a neighbor he had been fighting with, but that he then changed his mind and gave it away instead.
Fells gave the device to Dandan, a full-time employee of the Federal Aviation Administration working out of the Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
The FAA employee only had access to the offsite Air Traffic Control Tower and had no access to the restricted areas of the terminal or ramp. He did not have access to any aircraft at the Airport.
The FAA has also released the following statement:
The FAA has terminated the employee’s access to the facility and is cooperating with law enforcement authorities.
No one was injured and both suspects are in custody.
Less than a year later and just weeks before both Fells and Dandan are apparently set to go to trial, this is the local news:
September 26, 2018 — First responders reported a fatal wreck on the I-485 outer loop at I-77 South Wednesday night in Huntersville.
The I-77 South on-ramp to I-485 was shut down during the investigation.
Officials identified the driver as Derrick Fells.
Troopers said Fells was going too fast around the curve when he lost control and crashed into a pole.
Fells died at the scene.
Huntersville Fire Department posted this on Twitter:
10:48 PM: Station 1 is working a serious MVA, with entrapment, I485 Outer Loop at the I77 SB on ramp (to I485 Outer), Use caution in the area & yield to responding units. #MoveOver #CLTtraffic
12:10 AM September 27, 2018 *I485 Outer MVA Update 2* This will be a single vehicle, into a pole with one occupant who was injured fatally. I485 Outer (Local) & the I77SB off ramp (to I485) remains CLOSED for victim extrication & investigation. Please seek an alternate route. #CLTtraffic
A few days later this Go Fund Me appeared:
Vivian Rodriguez is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Christina Fells.
The Fells family just lost a member, a father, a husband, a brother, a friend that we’re never going to see again but never forget is resting in peace in Heaven . Derrick Fells, a hard working man didn’t make it after a long day of work on September 26th,2018. failed to negotiate the curve on the ramp correctly before hitting a traffic camera pole and died.
As you can imagine, Fells family is going through a lot. Derrick didn’t kiss his children a last good night kiss and sadly he never will.
Now, Christina Fells has to find out a way to cover all of their expenses, including Funeral cost which runs between $6-7 thousand dollars 1/2 due by next week.
If you feel and can help by donating anything please do! They would really appreciate it or if is there anything you could do to help please do not hesitate to contact me to arrange something.
Thank you so much in advance and PLEASE keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
The goal on $6,000.00 came up just $320.00 short.
And with that the life of Derrick Fells came to an end.
And Paul G. Dandan?
He's a ghost sort of quietly living in Charlotte's Steele Creek area.
Odd that after hundreds of news stories around the world the case of Paul G Dandan and Derrick Fells would just vanish.
18 comments:
We are just asking for 15 days to stop spreading your cheeks.
He died?
Cedar interesting post. If you look closely the original reporting was filled with errors. The address is wrong Dandan's name is given as Dandon. Fells seems to be a good guy just trying to get by in life but built a bomb to take our a neighbor? Yet neither of these guys went to trial? Sumthing don't add up.
Yes, very interesting. Why did Dandan want it? What was he charged with? Did he plead out?
Yea, we all build WMD over a small beef with our neighbors. Don't be so judgy.
And don't we all have an FAA friend who 'collects' these things. And when did Gofundme become a rite of passage for anyone's death?
Isn't this the guy who is a volunteer firefighter and when CFD arrived they disassembled the bomb and told CMPD it was fireworks?
@4:05 That was the rumor. So all they had was Fells testimony and then he magically died before he could testify against Dandan.
Seems really strange right before his court date at light pole would just jump out in front of his car. Then look at the time between first in and cleared. Cedar you can request the ME report from Raleigh on line.
People speak about race on CedarPosts to distract you from the jokes that work at the CMPD and CFD. JJ is horrible and he screwed the Metro 5. Vicki Foster is getting a huge contract. North Tryon Div is an embarrassment, now. South is the most wanted division of all active cops.
226, without getting into personal details I would agree with you. The quantitative stats would reflect bad customer service with over 1000 documented complaints against officers. Does anyone know the current call times?
I see "Noogie" guy all the time. He's racist AF because he's black. Just stirring the pot. We all know the score our ass in on the line and no one has our back. Everyone knows even if we are 100% right we are going to be wrong if its a person of color. Even Noogie guy knows this. In fact they will come after him his family his pension as if he was white. So we'll just take that next call or not and get through the shift with out hearing a shots fired call for assistance.
Always wondered what happen to this case. How did they figure out Dandan had a "bomb"? Was it even functional? If Fells was going to blow up his neighbor why would they let the guy out of jail? Was Dandan an unhappy FAA employee? How does this guy even still live if Charlotte? The clown owns three homes in Steele Creeks according to Mecklenburg County.
Guys we need to be concerned about this recession coming up. The jobs are going to affect the crime even worse than in 2008. We are understaffed and patrol cannot take anymore. The blacks are out of control on the west and north side with crime. Without tax revenue this city will get even worse and those Section 8 locations are making this harder than ever.
What ever happened to Vicki Foster and that retired tech guy starting a company to take over all the off duty for the department?? Did that ever happen? She was gonna get $1 for every hour of off duty every officer in the dept works just to run a website that schedules the jobs. Total scam.
CMPD has slowly lowered their standards from the past. They used to sponsor masters and PhD’s and now they will only sponsor cpcc. They know you won’t have time for it on 3rd shift. The raise was 5% plus cost of living. Now it’s real low with 2% inflation bump. You couldn’t be arrested for DWI or gun charges, either. Now, it’s okay to get arrested at the transit center.
You have to love patrol with a passion because that’s all we have to give right now. It’s just calls and citations, but some people love it.
^^motherfucker you have it so good compared to the jail. We are short staffed and outnumbered like crazy.
@7:29 I wonder the whole story too. It sounded like something they make netflix series about. Rumor was that Derrick came down with cancer and wanted to kill this fool down the street who he had been back and forth with forever. He built a bomb but then felt bad about it and didn't want to use it. He gave the bomb to dandan and he didn't have any problems using it and then Derrick felt guilty about that too. So he ratted out dandan and confessed everything to the police. dandan was a volunteer fire dude on the side and when his pals showed up with CFD that also work as volunteers they tried to help him out and took everything apart and trashed it. When the police showed up his CFD boys told them it was fireworks but they already knew it was a bomb, so they kept digging and found the parts to confirm Derricks story.
So I know a guy that is doing the academy in October and I feel like he lost his damn mind. The economy is tight so he needs the job. Guy doesn’t even act like a cop. That’s what is going down right now.
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