Father charged with moving gun son may have used
FAIRVIEW TWP — The father of a teen suspected of opening fire at another teen last week now is accused in connection with the investigation.
State police allege David V. Rodgers, 57, of Donegal Township removed the gun they believe was used in the shooting from a house on Haysville Road in Fairview Township before troopers could search the home.
Rodgers was arrested Friday at his home. District Judge Lewis Stoughton arraigned him on charges of prohibited possession of a firearm and hindering apprehension or prosecution, both felonies.
Because of a prior conviction, according to charging documents, Rodgers, under state law, is barred from having guns.
He also is charged with a misdemeanor count of tampering with physical evidence. He is free on $30,000 bail.
Rodgers' son, Adam J. Rodgers, 19, of Donegal Township, remains in the county prison in lieu of $500,000 bail, charged with attempted homicide and aggravated assault in the shooting Thursday on New Hope Road in Cherry Township.
Two others — Henry A. Leroy, 19, of East Brady, Clarion County; and Tyler A. Martin, 17, of Worth Township — face similar charges. Both are in the county prison in lieu of $100,000 bail each.
According to documents, Adam Rodgers allegedly fired multiple shots from a handgun at the victim, a 19-year-old man, near the victim's home shortly before 1:30 p.m. No one was injured.
Investigators said that a short time before the shooting, the younger Rodgers and the victim had communicated by Facebook Messenger and agreed to a mutual fistfight.
Police suspect that after the shooting, Martin drove Adam Rodgers from the scene in a minivan. Leroy also was in the van.
Troopers subsequently recovered four .380-caliber casings on the road.
Investigators said Leroy and Martin told them that after the shooting, the trio drove to the home on Haysville Road, where the gun was disposed of, and Adam Rodgers changed his clothes.
Later that day, police got a search warrant for the home to look for the gun and clothing. Investigators recovered the clothing and a spent .380-caliber shell casing. The gun, however, was not found.
On Friday, police spoke to the owner of the house. She acknowledged that she had seen the suspected gun in the home's laundry room before police got there.
She also said that David Rodgers and a woman had taken “possession of the gun and removed it from her residence,” according to documents, “before the search warrant was executed.”
At his arraignment, Rodgers told Stoughton that he is the father of eight children, ages 13 to 40.
Online court records did not indicate if Rodgers has an attorney. He could not be reached for comment. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 29 at Stoughton's office in Chicora.
