Pastor Arrested at Strat After Weapons, Drugs Found in Hotel Room – Report

Posted on: September 6, 2024, 07:12h. 

Last updated on: September 6, 2024, 07:19h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More

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A minister reportedly has a pending court case after Vegas police found an AR-15-style rifle with a scope and suspected fentanyl in his Strat Hotel room.

David McGee, 61, of North Carolina, was arrested on August 20 at the Strat Hotel, Casino & Tower, Las Vegas TV station KLAS reported on Friday.

He reportedly missed an August court date for medical reasons and is scheduled next to appear in court on December 19.

His August 20 arrest led to rumors that the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) responded with counter-terrorism-type force to the hotel.

When asked by LVMPD officers if he had any weapons in the hotel room, he said “Yes, I have a gun in my guitar case,” KLAS reported. There were other firearms in the hotel room, too, according to KLAS.

The weapons led police to investigate if McGee could be planning some kind of mass shooting, which turned out to be not the case, authorities said.

Since the 2017 deadly mass shooting in Las Vegas, the LVMPD often investigates situations where hotel guests have firearms with them in their rooms.

Searching for Homeless Daughter

Last month, he flew into Las Vegas in a private plane to locate his missing daughter, according to KLAS. She’s believed to be homeless and living in a tunnel somewhere in Las Vegas, the report revealed. He’s been in touch with her, KLAS added.

Pray for me as I go get my daughter from the worst [and] scariest place for my daughter in America… the Las Vegas tunnels,” McGee said in a Facebook post last month.

Officers also investigated the presence of fentanyl.

McGee advised [the detective] that he brought the fentanyl from North Carolina on his private jet to Las Vegas and paid approximately $1,000,” according to a LVMPD arrest report. “McGee stated that he was a user of fentanyl and intended to distribute the fentanyl to his daughter when he locates her.”

It’s unclear if he’s been unable to rescue his daughter from Las Vegas tunnels since his arrest.

Religious Life

McGee is a pastor affiliated with North Carolina’s The Bridge Fellowship.

The Bible-based church closed in 2023.

But church programs continue to be offered online and via radio broadcasts.