Page linked to Winston-Salem pastor responds to ‘disturbing news’ after Las Vegas arrest: ‘Truth will all come out’

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A Facebook post from a nonprofit organization connected to a North Carolina pastor arrested in Las Vegas appeared to deny reporting about his arrest on weapons and drug charges, saying Thursday: “The truth will all come out in due season.”

As the 8 News Now Investigators first reported last week , Metro police arrested David McGee, 61, an evangelical pastor, for allegedly having guns and drugs in a hotel room in an incident that initially sparked a counter-terrorism response.

McGee faces drug and gun-related charges, all felonies, connected to his Aug. 20 arrest at the Strat Hotel Casino & Tower, records said. McGee was the senior pastor at the closed The Bridge Fellowship, outside Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Though its building shuttered in 2023, the evangelical ministry continues online and through radio programs. A Facebook page connected to McGee’s work and the church — with more than 24,000 followers — includes posts that appear to be posted by McGee and others.

On Aug. 20, drug and counter-terrorism detectives responded to the hotel after McGee reported a piece of property missing, documents said. McGee told police he was visiting Las Vegas from North Carolina and had arrived in a private jet to find his daughter. When officers asked McGee if he had any weapons in his room, he reportedly replied, “Yes, I have a gun in my guitar case,” documents said. Hotel employees had previously warned McGee about the policy after he allegedly brought a shotgun to his room days earlier.

The discovery of the firearms, including an AR-15 with a scope, prompted responding officers to suspect McGee was planning a 1 October-style shooting, documents said. Since the 2017 mass shooting, Metro police have investigated “suspicious situations where multiple firearms are located inside hotels on the Las Vegas Strip,” police said.

Inside the hotel room, police said they found suspected fentanyl pills and powder, they said. In the days before his trip to Las Vegas, McGee posted on the Facebook page that he was traveling to find his daughter who he believed was living in a flood control tunnel.

McGee and his wife have not responded to repeated requests for comment. McGee has not posted since Aug. 20. Records said that he did not appear for his probable cause hearing in Las Vegas Justice Court on Aug. 21 due to medical records. A judge did not set bail in the case as prosecutors had not filed a criminal complaint. McGee was due to return to court on Dec. 19. Metro police did not take a booking photo of McGee when they brought him to the Clark County Detention Center.

“You may have read and/or heard some disturbing news recently,” a post on Facebook posted Thursday said. “Please understand that there is much incorrect, misleading, and incomplete ‘information’ and implications in what is being reported. The truth will all come out in due season. Be patient, kind and loving. Love God, love people. Sensational headlines sell newspapers, increase clicks, and drive-up ad revenue. None of the money flowing to those publishing these stories will go towards rescuing Pastor David‘s daughter, or any of the other 2,000 people every year that go to Las Vegas and end up dead, not to mention destitute. Such stories, however, will be used to try to tear down the good work of building God‘s kingdom.”

It was not clear who posted the message on the page Thursday.

In the days after the 8 News Now Investigators’ reporting, several current and current church members inquired with 8 News Now about McGee’s arrest.

8 News Now Investigator David Charns can be reached at dcharns@8newsnow.com .

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