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Explosive materials found in Dayton Hall

 

A Dayton Hall resident has been arrested and expelled from UNLV after police found explosive materials in his dorm room on Oct. 12, according to a resident assistant.

A hand grenade shell, five pounds of gunpowder, four cases of shotgun shells, a detonated air canister, a butterfly knife and a suspicious briefcase were found in Jordan Moss’ room in the Dayton Residence Hall.

The incident sparked talk among dorm residents, as well as a thread on JuicyCampus.com, about a possible threat to students on campus.

Several police officers, as well as a K-9 unit, searched the room after a resident assistant notified Dayton Resident Life Coordinator Eric Morrow that Moss kept a grenade in his room.

In the initial search of the room, police uncovered a gun cleaning kit but no gun. According to a dorm resident close to the investigation, Moss returned to the dorm during the police search and claimed the kit was for a shotgun kept at an off-campus home.

Police also found shotgun shells in the room — a direct violation of the campus housing policy. Moss was arrested on gross misdemeanor charges.

UNLV Campus Housing Director Richard Clark stated that no guns or bombs were found in Moss’s room but declined to go into further detail due to pending legal action. Clark stated that Moss left his room in Dayton voluntarily, conflicting with reports from sources and UNLV Public Affairs which stated Moss had been evicted from the Residence Hall.

Moss’ roommate Atom Fogarty, however, said Moss is a freshman who never planned to use the materials to harm anybody and was simply unaware of campus policies.

“He’s always been a bit naive in regards to college… now people think that he’s some sort of terrorist just because he made a dumb decision,” Fogarty said.

During the search, the K-9 unit identified a suspicious briefcase which they took as evidence and removed from the dorm. It was later reported that police found a note in the briefcase that read: “I’m sorry…wait, no I’m not. F–k you bitches.”

Fogarty, a sophomore art major, said the briefcase and explosives were used as props in a movie the two roommates began shooting over the summer. That short video, he said, is not finished or available online. However, a second video, with similar props, is currently on Fogarty’s VSocial.com page. The video portrays a restrained hostage and his captor demanding ransom. The video ends with a representation of a shotgun execution.

Moss’ charges were upgraded to a Class B felony after the discovery of devices with the potential to be used as weapons. Police found hollowed shotgun shells, as well as their emptied contents, compressed gunpowder and shrapnel inside of water bottles.

Police have not yet released specifics on how many explosive materials were found, however a dorm resident close to the case said that police mentioned the materials could have damaged several floors on the dorm hall if used correctly, but there was a missing ingredient. Clark said that students on campus were not alerted to the arrest because there was no perceived threat.

Fogarty shares the sentiment that Moss was not a threat to residents.

“[Moss] is a good guy, a good friend of mine,” Fogarty said, “but he’s always been a bit naïve. Unfortunately, he apparently thought that storing shotgun rounds in the room was OK until he could take them home.”

Fogarty added, “He shouldn’t be looked upon as some sort of terrorist just because he was ignorant.”

Moss returned to Dayton briefly Thursday morning to collect his belongings in the dorm room. Campus police and a K-9 unit escorted him.

Neither UNLV Police nor Las Vegas Metro could comment on the ongoing investigation. Moss is currently out on bail. According to Fogarty, Moss is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 12.

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