SALT LAKE CITY – Weapons, explosives-making materials and stolen police body armor were found in the home of a Vernal man who, according to court documents, said he wanted to kill a police officer.
Michael Dallas Rowley, 37, was charged Tuesday in the 8th District Court with possession of explosive parts, aggravated assault, possession of a weapon by a disabled person, and endangering children, all third degree crimes. Drug possession, a Class A offense; Drug possession, possession of drug paraphernalia, and theft by obtaining stolen property, all class B offenses.
On February 23, while investigating a possible attack, Uintah County Sheriff’s MPs learned that Rowley was charged with guns and drugs in his home. Rowley is banned from having guns or ammunition based on previous convictions, the indictments say.
MPs were given a search warrant to search Rowley’s house and found “body armor, ammunition, items used in the construction of explosive devices such as gunpowder, pipe fittings, BBs, washers and pyrotechnic cartridges” and the “body armor that belonged to the sheriff” section and had been stolen, pipes with methamphetamine residues, raw marijuana, bongs, more pipes and marijuana seeds, ”the indictments say.
The body armor of the stolen sheriff was found in a bedroom closet that had a “hidden door to access the crawl space under the floor”. This resulted in a police affidavit filed when Rowley was arrested.
Police later served a second search warrant for outbuildings on the property and found a shotgun and two rifles, as well as more ammunition. Witnesses told MPs they heard Rowley say “he wanted to kill an officer,” according to the prosecution.
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