Dangerous materials and police body armor were found in a Uintah County home on Tuesday after officers were called to the residence on a report of an assault. 37-year-old Michael Dallas Rowley was taken into custody on suspicion of aggravated assault and then booked into Uintah County Jail on the offenses of Aggravated Assault, Possession of a Dangerous Weapon by a Restricted Person, Endangerment of a Child, Possession of Controlled Substances and Paraphernalia, and Theft. When officers arrived at his residence Rowley claimed he had been threatened with a knife by an intoxicated individual who had left on foot. Officers located the individual who claimed that Rowley had a rifle during a verbal argument with him at the residence and he left when Rowley threatened to shoot him. The individual also told officers that Rowley had body armor and possibly more weapons located in a hidden space beneath the residence accessed through a door hidden beneath the carpet in a bedroom. Due to prior felony convictions, officers knew Rowley to be a category II restricted person that cannot legally possess a firearm. As Rowley was being taken into custody on suspicion of aggravated assault, a .22 caliber long rifle cartridge was found in one of his pockets. After speaking with another person at the residence officers used the information they had to acquire a search warrant for the residence. In addition to revealing a hidden doorway access to the subfloor crawl space, the search resulted in the seizure of the following: gunpowder, pyrotechnics, materials to construct an explosive device, large caliber cartridges, rifle ammunition, glass pipes with suspected methamphetamine residue, raw marijuana, drug paraphernalia, and concealable body armor belonging to the Uintah County Sheriff’s Office.
