Highway 111 Explosion: Felon Must Stand Trial On 2 Charges

RANCHO MIRAGE, CA — A convicted felon who allegedly joined a cohort in igniting an explosive device that damaged property on a highway in Rancho Mirage must stand trial for use of a destructive device and vandalism, a judge ruled Thursday.

Jason Edward Hershey, 50, was arrested in 2021 following a months-long local and federal investigation into the Halloween 2020 explosion.

At the end of a preliminary hearing Thursday, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Kristi Hester found there was sufficient evidence to bound Hershey over for trial on the felony counts. She scheduled a post-preliminary hearing arraignment for May 23 at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.

The defendant is free on his own recognizance.

In August 2022, Hershey's co-defendant, 60-year-old Michael Henry Hardisty of Cathedral City, was sentenced to six years in state prison after admitting the same counts with which Hershey is charged.

The explosion occurred on the night of Oct. 31, 2020, along Highway 111, between Peterson Road and Country Club Drive, according to sheriff's investigators.

Sgt. Steve Davis said that debris was flung across six traffic lanes, but no motorists were injured.

Along with sheriff's detectives, agents from the FBI and U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives were involved in the investigation.

The defendants were arrested in May 2021.

There was no specific motive disclosed in connection with the explosion.

Court records show Hershey has prior convictions for receiving stolen property, burglary and possession of controlled substances.