Stolen explosives cause Henderson hotel evacuation
Explosives stolen from a Northern Nevada construction company turned up at a Henderson hotel this month, prompting authorities to evacuate the building, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.
The alleged thief was arrested Jan. 4 outside the Hawthorn Suites, 910 Boulder Highway, officials said.
Evan Ray Atkinson, a 38-year-old California resident, has been indicted on six counts, including theft, transportation, possession and improper storage of explosive materials, court records showed. Atkinson appeared in federal court remotely Monday, the records showed.
Under Atkinson’s bail condition, his family in Arkansas has been ordered to take custody of him after he is released from a California addiction treatment center, the records stated.
“Mr. Atkinson has entered a not guilty plea and will address the allegations in court,” defense attorney Richard Schonfeld wrote in an email Tuesday.
The explosives were reported stolen from the Kinkaid Mill mine in Mineral County on Dec. 26, according to a criminal complaint.
Officials in a news release accused Atkinson of stealing about 100 pounds of detonating cord, boosters and dynamite.
A sheriff’s deputy who responded to the scene noticed tire tracks that did not match the treads on the workers’ vehicles and surmised that they belonged to a full-size pickup hauling a trailer, the complaint said.
A witness told authorities that two days before the burglary, she had seen a pickup and trailer parked at the business’ front gate, which was damaged, the complaint said.
Using GPS technology, investigators determined that a truck registered to Atkinson was at the premises the day of the burglary, the complaint said.
The day of his arrest, investigators located Atkinson, his pickup and the trailer at the Henderson hotel and found explosives inside the vehicle, the complaint said. After he told investigators that he had stored more explosives in his hotel room, authorities evacuated the building, the complaint said.
If convicted, Atkinson faces up to 10 years in prison for each count.
Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com. Follow @rickytwrites on Twitter.
