Sedona Man Threatens To Blow Up A Bank In The Village Of Oak Creek

A man threatened to blow up a bank in the Village of Oak Creek Thursday. Yavapai County Sheriff’s officials received a call from employees at the Chase Bank in the 66-hundred block of Highway 179 at Verde Valley School Road at around 12:20 p.m. saying 48-year-old Michael Chase of Sedona was causing a disturbance in the bank. He went into the bank, demanded they close his account and said he had a bomb on him and in his van that was parked outside the building. People inside the bank were allowed to evacuate, while Chase broke out a window and was acting strange. A Forest Service official made contact with Chase inside the bank and attempted to subdue him with pepper spray with minimal effect. A deputy arrived and tased Chase and he was arrested. Bomb squad members then searched the van and didn’t find any explosives. Highway 179 was reopened and evacuations were lifted at around 5:30 p.m. Chase has been booked into the Camp Verde Detention Center on several charges related to the incident.