ELKO, Nev. (AP) — A 57-year-old Nevada man who served jail time on an arson charge in Elko five years ago has been arrested on suspicion of making a bomb threat in Wendover.
Shane A. Johnson of West Wendover was arrested Dec. 5 after he allegedly told police who confronted him about a disturbance that he had a bomb and was going to light it. He was booked into the Elko County Jail on suspicion of communicating a bomb threat, the Elko Daily Free Press reported.
The incident began when police were called to a casino to help remove an ``unwanted guest,'' police said.
Johnson had just been kicked out of another casino because of ``undesirable behavior,'' according to an officer's statement. He'd already left when police arrived but a witness reported he was making a scene at a nearby fast-food restaurant.
Police located Johnson in the parking lot of a third casino, where they said he was yelling at a group of people.
When police ordered him to stop, Johnson allegedly replied, ``I have a bomb in my hands and I will light it.''
He then held up a small blue cylinder in his right hand and a lighter in his left hand, making an attempt to light the cylinder, according to the report. Police said it turned out to be a carbon dioxide tank.
It's not clear whether he has a lawyer or will be appointed one at a pending court appearance.
Johnson previously was arrested on an arson charge after he created a disturbance at an Elko grocery store in 2017 and dropped a cigarette into a free-standing mailbox, partially igniting the contents before the fire extinguished itself, the newspaper reported. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit arson and was sentenced to 138 days in jail.