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Sandra Yi reportingA narcotics tip led investigators to a potentially dangerous situation in a Holladay home. Now the man of the house has been arrested and faces child endangerment and drug charges.
There were some tense moments as crews discovered potentially hazardous and explosive materials inside the home.
A narcotics unit,acting on a tip, came to the house Friday afternoon to talk to the man living here. Once inside, they saw materials that generated enough concern for them to call in haz mat crews.
What they found were guns and ammunitions. They also saw bottles labeled "ether," which is a highly flammable liquid, and smokeless powder, which unlike gun powder can explode if ignited. The powder was sitting in canisters near a burning coal stove.
Officials say if that powder had ignited it could have damaged the home, started a fire, and injured the residents.
Jay Ziolkowski/Salt Lake County Fire Dept.: "IT'S NOT ILLEGAL FOR INDIVIDUALS TO HAVE PRODUCT LIKE THIS IN THE HOME, BUT HOW IT'S STORED, THAT'S THE CONCERN. FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, THE STORAGE WAS NOT DONE PROPERLY."
Fire officials say there were 10 pounds of the smokeless powder. That is the maximum amount the fire department recommends people have.
The bottles labeled ether were empty.
Deputies arrested 60-year-old Carl Schettler on child endangerment charges because there were three children aged 17 or younger in the home. Shettler was also booked on suspicion of distributing a controlled substance.
Schettler's wife and the three kids were allowed back in the home Friday night. Crews closed it for a while to make sure it was safe, and to remove the powder.
Officials say no nearby homes were in any danger, but they want to know why Schettler had the stuff and what he planned to do with it.
