Posted by Tuolumne County Sheriff
Early yesterday morning, deputies responded to a suspicious circumstance on Big Oak Road in Big Oak Flat. The reporting person advised a neighbor, 44-year-old Billy Dowling of Big Oak Flat, was standing in the middle of the road acting strange, yelling at no one, claiming people were dead in his home, and intruders were under his home.
When deputies arrived on scene, they contacted Dowling who was holding a short barrel shot gun while standing in the road near his home. Deputies talked Dowling into dropping the shotgun. Dowling began yelling to the deputies about his wife needing help and intruders in his home. Dowling then advised deputies he had a revolver in his waistband. Deputies attempted to detain Dowling, but he resisted momentarily. One of the deputies was able to remove the revolver from Dowling’s waistband during the struggle. Dowling was successfully detained without further incident. Once detained, deputies noticed Dowling was showing objective symptoms of being under the influence of a drug.
Deputies ultimately conducted a search of Dowling’s home in attempt to locate potentially injured people. No one was found inside or underneath the home and no evidence was present to support Dowling’s claims.
Dowling was subsequently arrested for a variety of firearms related charges.
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