Bucks County judge revokes bail for bombing suspect

Bombing suspect David Surman Jr. left a Doylestown courtroom in handcuffs Wednesday after a Bucks County Court judge revoked his bail in a child-pornography case.

Prosecutors had argued that Surman violated multiple conditions for his bail in two separate cases. But Judge Raymond F. McHugh ruled that he broke only one: possessing devices that allowed access to the internet in violation of a condition of the $500,000 bail he posted in the fall in the child-pornography case.

Investigators also say Surman, 31, of Quakertown, was behind a series of mysterious late-night explosions in upper Bucks County last spring. The pornography was discovered while detectives searched electronic devices seized from his home, authorities said.

During arguments in court Wednesday, Deputy District Attorney Antonetta Stancu pushed for Surman to remain behind bars until his trial in the bombings in August.

“I don’t believe additional conditions are going to rectify this,” Stancu said, adding that Surman used his knowledge of electronics to “manipulate the system.”

“And I believe there’s no specific amount of bail that would force this defendant to follow these conditions,” she added.

Surman’s attorney, Paul Lang, said Stancu’s efforts were “an example of the government rushing to judgment.”

“The judge dismissed 90 percent of their complaint, and found him guilty of violating his bail on a technicality," Lang said. “But this doesn’t change our path to prove David Surman’s innocence.”

In a motion filed last week, Stancu wrote that PayPal had flagged suspicious activity on accounts registered to Surman, including the purchase of chemicals that could be used in “potentially manufacturing an explosive device or other dangerous substances.”

Surman owns Consolidated Chemicals & Solvents, a mail-order company that sells chemical compounds online. Investigators found homemade explosives inside the company’s headquarters as well as Surman’s home while serving search warrants in the bombing case. After his arrest, Surman was barred from operating the company or possessing chemicals.

PayPal also found that the accounts purchased components that when combined could form a fully functioning Glock handgun, as well as computer parts and SIM cards that would allow the buyer to access the internet. Under conditions of his bail, Surman was not permitted to possess those items.

Surman’s mother, Kathy, testified Wednesday that she was in control of the accounts in the course of running the company. But she waffled under pressure from Stancu, with McHugh admonishing her for saying “inconsistent things" about who ultimately made the purchases.

Kathy Surman also admitted to “fibbing” under oath, and to violating a court order not to discuss Stancu’s questions with her daughter Samantha, another witness in the case. Kathy Surman admitted to asking her daughter about certain items that Stancu had questioned her about during court proceedings on Tuesday.

Samantha Surman testified that she was the one who purchased the gun components, telling Stancu she did so for personal use.