A bomb threat was averted by local police after a gambler threatened to ‘destroy’ a Harrah’s Casino following a $20,000 loss.
On January 5 at around 9.50pm, a call to emergency services threatened a bombing at Harrah’s Casino in Stateline, Nevada. Douglas County Sheriff’s Office deputies were quickly dispatched to the location.
“Yeah, I just lost over $20,000 at your stupid casino, and I am going to destroy it now,” the caller said, according to a report from Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. “I am going to bomb it. This is a bomb threat.”
The caller was identified as Seth Maybee of South Lake Tahoe, with an investigation leading deputies to Maybee’s home in South Lake Tahoe. He was arrested by the South Lake Tahoe Police Department on January 6, just before 2am. He has since been charged with making a bomb threat and making terroristic threats, which could see him charged with a felony. If found guilty, the sentence for those charges could see Maybee receive between two and 15 years, up to $15,000 in fines, and possible restitution of any costs associated with the threat, including the emergency response.
Harrah’s Casino, Stateline, Nevada. Credit: Google Maps
“I want to thank Harrah’s Casino for their quick reporting of this incident and the South Lake Tahoe Police Department for their assistance in the arrest of Maybee,” said Sheriff Dan Coverley from Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. “Due to the history of the Harvey’s bombing in the early 1980s, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and Stateline casinos take these threats very seriously. Fortunately, we were able to make an arrest before anything happened.”
Harrah’s Casino bomb threat evoked fears from the past
The 1980’s incident that Coverley referred to in his statement was the Harvey’s Resort Hotel bombing that took place on August 26 and 27, 1980, in Stateline, Nevada. An elaborate bomb was planted in an extortion attempt for $3 million, using one of the most complex improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that the FBI had ever encountered.
It caused an estimated $18 million in damage but thankfully no casualties. The perpetrator was ultimately identified as John Birges Sr, a Hungarian immigrant and a heavy gambler who had lost a significant amount of money at the casino. He was subsequently arrested and sentenced to life withour parole.
A similarly motivated bomb threat also took place in Singapore in September of last year.
Featured image: South Lake Tahoe Police Department
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