State College-area felon accused of having nearly 500 rounds of ammunition, indictment says
A Ferguson Township felon was indicted Thursday on a federal weapons charge that accused him of possessing nearly 500 rounds of ammunition and two rifle parts treated as firearms.
Ronald Hertzog, 59, was accused of possessing five different types of ammunition and two rifle lower receivers, the primary structural component of a gun that fire control components are attached.
Corl Street Elementary School was cleared Feb. 2 while police officers executed a search warrant on Hertzog’s home. The building was closed to all students and employees at the end of the school day and after all meetings concluded, Principal Kelly Mark wrote in an email to students’ guardians.
Ferguson Township, State College, Patton Township and Penn State police assisted federal investigators. Defense lawyer E.J. Rymsza did not immediately respond Friday to a request for comment.
Hertzog pleaded guilty in 2002 to a federal charge that accused him of possessing four machine guns, three improvised explosive devices and a silencer.
The charges, according to court documents filed in 2005, were the result of a yearlong investigation into the Pennsylvania Citizens Militia, whose purpose was to “protect their homeland against terrorists and foreign influence.”
Hertzog organized and attended two field training exercises where discussions about protecting the country against the United Nations occurred, according to the document.
The former Penn State computer programmer was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison.