Removalist wanted by police arrested after allegedly throwing tiles off roof

A man wanted by police ranted and swore in a courtroom when he was refused bail after he had allegedly stood on a roof and threw down tiles when police were trying to arrest him.

Kye Jayden Rowe was handed charges that included possessing prohibited weapons and attempting to assault a frontline community service provider and had appeared to cry when he faced the ACT Magistrates Court on Wednesday (24 January).

A warrant had been issued for his arrest in September 2023 after he allegedly failed to comply with the conditions of his parole, court documents say.

Then, on Tuesday (23 January), police officers were on patrol when they allegedly saw a balaclava-wearing Rowe park a heavily modified dirtbike with no number plates in a garage in Kaleen.

The officers knew there was a warrant out for him, so they entered the home to arrest him. Inside, they were allegedly able to talk to him, even though they couldn’t find him at first.

“Police suspected the defendant to be inside the roof cavity by gaining access via a manhole situated in the second story of the residence,” the documents claim.

Shortly afterwards, Rowe was allegedly seen on the roof pulling off roof tiles.

It is alleged an officer told him to stop, but he pulled off a large tile and threw it at him, forcing the officer to move to avoid being hit.

The police told him to stop, but he allegedly “continued to throw additional tiles”, the documents say.

Rowe eventually climbed down and was arrested. When police looked at the dirtbike he is alleged to have been driving, they found a large machete with a serrated blade hidden within its structure.

The 23-year-old from Kaleen applied for bail on Wednesday, which the prosecutor opposed due to the alleged likelihood of him not appearing in court and committing other offences.

His defence lawyer said when it came to the allegation that he had tried to assault a police officer, he was in an emotional state, didn’t understand why he was being arrested and thought he wouldn’t be able to see his two-week-old son.

She said he worked full-time as a removalist, and while he had struggled with drug addiction in the past, he had stopped using drugs while he had been on parole.

Magistrate Jane Campbell said she was concerned about how Rowe knew he was subject to parole conditions and allegedly failed to engage with them.

After refusing bail, Rowe started ranting and swearing at the courtroom, saying, “How can you do this?”

The matter was adjourned to 15 March.