SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, July 15, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — A 45-year-old man was arrested in Salt Lake City after he was found to illegally possess a loaded firearm and an extended magazine with more than 30 bullets.
The Salt Lake City Police investigation began at 9:37 p.m. Friday when patrol officers saw two people trespassing near 65 North and 900 West, in the north end of the Poplar Grove neighborhood, just south of the Fair Park neighborhood.
“This area is a designated focus area for the Salt Lake City Police Department as part of its stratified policing approach and violent crime reduction plan,” says a news release from the Public Relations Department of the SLCPD.
“The officer and her backing officer contact the two people, including Rodrick L. Dowling.”
During the investigation, officers found the loaded handgun and the extended magazine inside a bag belonging to Dowling.
“The firearm’s serial number had been scratched off,” the police statement says. “Officers also found a clear container with several blue M30 pills. These pills are known to contain fentanyl. In addition to the blue M30 pills, officers found a container with suspected methamphetamine.”
Dowling was also found to have outstanding warrants.
“Officers booked Dowling into the Salt Lake County Metro Jail on charges of being a restricted person in possession of a firearm, possession of methamphetamine, and possession of an altered firearm,” the SLCPD statement says.
Dowling’s charging documents are not yet available in the online court records system.
