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Draper man faces charges for drugs, child endangerment after explosive materials found in ‘hidden room’

Posted at 4:04 PM, Aug 19, 2017
and last updated 2017-08-19 18:09:00-04

DRAPER, Utah — Police executing a search warrant at a home in Draper found drugs and drug paraphernalia, and they also located a hidden room in the basement containing wires and explosive materials.

According to a statement of probable cause, officers obtained a search warrant for the home of James Michael Duffy in the area of 15100 South Holley Grove Court on July 31.

Police deployed a K9 unit inside the home and located syringes, pipes, spoons and straws containing apparent drug residue along with a digital scale and a bong. Police also found substances that field tested positive for marijuana and methamphetamine. A relative of Duffy’s told police that Duffy used and sold meth in the home where two minor children, ages 15 and 5, were living.

Another officer located “a hidden room under the stairs in the basement of the home,” according to the PC statement.

Inside that room police located wires and bags of powdered chemicals, at which point a bomb squad responded. Police determined the powders “were explosive materials deconstructed from commercial grade fireworks and other energetic material that are precursors to explosives.”

Police also located a roll of “hobby fuse” and an intact grenade head and primer, charging documents state.

Authorities detonated the unstable substances in the backyard of the home.

Duffy allegedly admitted to police post-Miranda that the explosive material was his. He faces charges of possession of explosive parts as a third-degree felony, endangerment of a child as a third-degree felony, possession or use of a controlled substance as a third-degree felony, and possession of drug paraphernalia as a class A misdemeanor.

A warrant for Duffy’s arrest was issued Friday. The charging documents note that Duffy is already a defendant in several pending felony cases, which include drug related charges,  a charge for unlawful card acquisition, and a charge relating to forgery.