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Events Listings: Jan. 22 to 28, 2016

<p>HAZLE TWP. &#8212; The suspect in the homicide of an alleged drug dealer whose body was found in Hazle Township Tuesday night went to police shortly after police found the body.</p><p>Jancarlos Perez, 21, allegedly told police he had a cell phone belonging to Jose Alberto Concepcion, 23, who was found dead at the end of North Park Drive Tuesday.</p><p>On Wednesday, he admitted to being at the scene when Concepcion was shot and to burning his vehicle, but alleged another man was the shooter.</p><p>One of Perez&#8217;s friends, however, allegedly told investigators Perez told him he &#8220;ended&#8221; Concepcion.</p><p>Perez now faces an open count of criminal homicide.</p><p>According to the affidavit, Concepcion was found near the cul de sac at the end of North Park Drive at 9:35 p.m. Tuesday with a gunshot wound to the head.</p><p>Perez allegedly told police sometime after the shooting he had one of Concepcion&#8217;s cell phones, but destroyed it.</p><p>As police tried to identify Concepcion&#8217;s body, Hazleton city police were investigating an arson of a vehicle registered to Concepcion&#8217;s girlfriend in the Club 570 parking lot off Stockton Road that had been reported earlier that night.</p><p>On Wednesday, Cpl. Shawn Hilbert of state Police Troop N&#8217;s Fire Marshal&#8217;s Unit examined the parking lot with an accelerant detection dog, which alerted police to three locations where ignitable fluid was present. Hilbert later examined the Ford Explorer, and the dog indicated the presence of accelerant on the passenger side front corner and the floor directly behind the driver&#8217;s seat.</p><p>Hilbert also found the remains of a melted plastic gasoline container in the trunk of the vehicle, which also gave off an odor of gasoline. He concluded the vehicle fire had been intentionally set.</p><p>On Wednesday, police interviewed Kevin Dejesus, a friend of Perez&#8217;s. Dejesus allegedly told police he and Perez bought a plastic container and gasoline, and Perez started the vehicle fire in the Club 570 parking lot.</p><p>When asked why Perez may have burned the vehicle, Dejesus alleged Perez told him, &#8220;I ended him (expletive).&#8221;</p><p><strong>Search warrant</strong></p><p>Police executed search warrants for the residences belonging to the mother of Perez&#8217;s child and Perez&#8217;s mother and stepfather.</p><p>Investigators found a Ruger .38 revolver, which police say was reported stolen in August, concealed in a box of baby wipes. Perez allegedly told investigators where the gun was and that he had wiped it clean of fingerprints. Perez also allegedly admitted to flushing the bullets, including a spent casing, down the toilet at his child&#8217;s mother&#8217;s residence.</p><p>Investigators hired a plumber and retrieved two .38 caliber bullets.</p><p>Police also seized a black hooded sweatshirt from his parents&#8217; house on which a police dog sensed accelerant and a white hooded sweatshirt that matched clothing Perez wore on video surveillance obtained from the residence.</p><p>On Wednesday, Perez denied any knowledge or involvement of the homicide, but then allegedly told police he was present at the Humboldt Industrial Park when Conception was shot.</p><p>Perez allegedly told police he was given the gun used to kill Concepcion by the shooter, whom he described as a black man named &#8220;Jay&#8221; with dreadlocks with blonde tips.</p><p>Perez then told police he contacted Dejesus to purchase the container and gas, and then allegedly admitted to burning the vehicle at the Club 570 parking lot. Perez also allegedly admitted to sending himself a text message, threatening his own life, from one of his cell phones.</p><p>Along with criminal homicide, Perez faces charges of reckless burning, criminal mischief, theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property and tampering with evidence.</p><p>Perez was arraigned before District Judge James Dixon and jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility without bail. He is scheduled to appear before Dixon for a preliminary hearing Feb. 3.</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_Perez_Jancarlos_toned-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Jancarlos Perez</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_Perez_Jancarlos_toned-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Jancarlos Perez</caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Travis Kellar</p><p>tkellar@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Travis Kellar at 570-991-6389 or on Twitter @TLNews</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Suspect in Hazle Township homicide claims another man was the shooter