An evangelical pastor was arrested in a Las Vegas hotel room with drugs and firearms, including a scoped AR-15, and counterterrorism police fear he was planning a mass shooting similar to the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history, court documents warn.
According to documents, David McGehee, 61, senior pastor of the now-closed Bridge Fellowship in North Carolina, initially called police himself to report something missing from his room at the Stratt Hotel Casino & Tower. Retrieved by KLAS.
When police arrived, they asked McGehee if he had any weapons in the room, to which he reportedly replied, “Yes, I have a gun in my guitar case.”
According to court documents, the troubled pastor, who said he flew to Las Vegas on a private jet to search for his daughter, who had gone missing inside the tunnel at the time, had already been warned about the hotel's strict firearms policy after being caught with a shotgun in his room a few days earlier.
Counterterrorism investigators later found multiple firearms in the suspect's room, including an AR-15 with a scope, raising concerns that suspect Stephen Paddock was planning a mass shooting similar to the one in 2017 when he opened fire from a Las Vegas hotel room, killing 60 people and wounding more than 400, according to the documents.
Sin City has been on high alert for people bringing weapons into hotels ever since it was revealed that Paddock had stockpiled weapons before firing more than 1,000 rounds at country music fans in the deadliest lone gunman mass shooting in American history.
Despite these concerns, police issued a press release on Aug. 20, the day McGehee was arrested, saying rumors of a foiled terror plot at the hotel were false, KLAS noted.
Fentanyl pills and powder were also found in the pastor's room, according to the documents.
“Maggie [the detective] “The defendants shipped the fentanyl from North Carolina to Las Vegas on a private jet and paid approximately $1,000 for it,” according to the documents.
“McGee stated he was a fentanyl user and intended to distribute fentanyl to his daughter if he found her.”
A few days before the Las Vegas trip, Maggie posted on Facebook that she was traveling from Winston-Salem to Las Vegas to search for her daughter, who she believed was living in a flood protection tunnel.
“please [sic] Please pray for me to save my daughter from the worst situation. [and] “The scariest place in America for my daughter…the tunnels in Las Vegas,” Maggie posted.
McGhee hasn't posted on social media since his arrest, but his wife shared an update on Aug. 29, saying he'd been in contact with their daughter and that they were “praying for his health, wisdom and safety.” [and] identification.”
Records show McGee did not attend his Aug. 21 hearing due to medical issues. The judge did not set bail because prosecutors have not filed criminal charges.
He is due back in court on December 19, the outlet said.
