CHESTNUTHILL TOWNSHIP -- A man is under arrest for a deadly shooting in the Poconos.
Kyle Kresge, 46, of Effort is charged in the shooting death of Lawrence Purcell, 34, of Kunkletown.
Police say it happened between 11 a.m. and 12:20 p.m. Tuesday at Kresge's home on Glenwood Road in Chestnuthill Township.
According to state police, Kresge shot Purcell in the chest during a fight and Purcell died. Authorities say Kresge then dragged the body out of the house and tried to cover it up with debris.
"At one time, this was quiet and peaceful here, but now you have to be aware and on guard," said Roger Gower of Effort.
The shooting happened Tuesday at Kresge's home on Glenwood Drive in Chestnuthill Township.
According to state police, Kresge shot Purcell in the chest.
Kresge was inside his home when police arrived. A bullet casing was found in his pocket.
"There is some known attributes amongst them, and through the course of the investigation, we realized that he was possibly shot during a dispute regarding them. Again, something we are still pinning down, interviews and interviewing other people who might have been at the residence or know of this information," said Trooper David Peters.
Police say they received a 911 call from a woman and all she said was, "he's dead."
When they traced the call back, they ended up at Kresge's home. When they arrived, they found the victim's body on the side of the house, covered in a tarp.
"There's a lot of reasons certain things take place and they are pretty clear-cut, but in this particular situation, we want to find out why did this happen? Why was he at the residence and why did it escalate to this type of violence?" said Trooper Peters.
Online court documents show that both men have criminal records. About 15 years ago, Kresge did time for an assault.
People who live nearby say you never know who could be living next to you.
"It's going to concern everyone in the whole neighborhood," said Brian Calderone of Effort.
"I mean, you have to be on guard," Gower added. "It's really scary anymore, it really is."
Kresge is charged with criminal homicide, abuse of corpse, and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence. He is locked up without bail at the Monroe County correctional facility.
His preliminary hearing is scheduled for February 24.
