Oklahoma’s Hard Rock Casino Explosive Discovery Leads to Arrest

A adult male remains in arrears bars Friday after he allegedly placed an improvised volatile gimmick (IED) at the Hard John Rock Hotel and Casino inwards Catoosa, Okla. The homemade IED was discovered Tuesday nighttime inward a bagful alfresco of the tribal gaming venue.

Within hours, Zachary Schmidt, 32, was arrested on a ownership of explosives twist charge. He was set-aside(p) at the Virginia McMath County Detention Center, where he remains in custody.

Schmidt’s bond was lot at $50,000, according to pokey records. He is scheduled to seem inward judicature next Thursday.

Caught on Tape

Cherokee Carry Amelia Moore Nation surety guards spotted the handbag under exterior stairs, KOKI, a local TV station, reported. The IED was transported to a safe discern and specialized bomb teams were notified to dispose of the device. The situation was resolved without injury.

After finding the bag, authorities checkered the surveillance video. They said they were able to key out Helmut Heinrich Waldemar Schmidt as the somebody who left hand the IED past the stairs.

He was apprehended at a convenience salt away near the casino. He admitted to leaving the bag, but said he did not fabricate the IED, KOKI said.

IED Found inwards Dumpster

Schmidt claimed he discovered the IED in a dumpster. He picked it upwards and so got a mount to the casino, KWTV, another local TV station, reported. He thought it was a typecast of fireworks, the describe said.

The gambling casino is placed almost 15 miles due east of Tulsa. It is a Cherokee Nation Entertainment property.

The display case was investigated past the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) force field office staff inwards Oklahoma. The OK Highway Patrol, Catoosa Police Department, and Ginger Rogers County Sherriff’s Office also assisted.

Disaster Avoided

“This could feature been a catastrophic case if it wasn’t for the warm cerebration of Cherokee Nation security. It could have been disastrous,” Tulsa ATF Senior Special Agent Ashley Stephens was quoted past KWTV.

We are e'er cautioning that these aren’t fireworks. When you bug out manipulating even out a consumer firework, you are putting yourself inward danger, you are putting others in danger.”

In an unrelated incident, an volatile device was discovered exterior of a Bartlesville, Okla. Walgreens. Authorities are noneffervescent looking for a suspect inward that case.

In another incident, a former security safety at Pennsylvania’s Presque Isle Downs & Casino was sentenced to prison house after he allegedly phoned in a fake bomb threat to the gaming property. Greg Norman Antuzzi, 48, of Erie, Pa. will attend at least one to vi months.