TAOS, N.M. — A New Mexico man who reportedly had “unresolved issues” with his accounts has been arrested after authorities said he made repeated bomb and shooting threats against a Nusenda Credit Union branch that prompted an evacuation and shelter-in-place orders at two nearby schools.
Michael Allen Graves of Los Ojos was taken into custody shortly after 6 p.m. Monday in Rio Arriba County, Taos Police Chief Ron Montez Jr. said.
According to the Santa Fe New Mexican, Graves is charged in Taos County Magistrate Court with making a terroristic threat involving a shooting, a fourth-degree felony. His phone was seized as evidence following his arrest.
“We were able to get a search warrant for the phone, so we were able to track down whose number it was that called in the threats,” Montez told the Santa Fe New Mexican. “Based on that information, we were able to get an arrest warrant for the individual, and he was taken into custody in Rio Arriba County yesterday evening.”
The Nusenda branch at 640 Paseo del Pueblo Sur was evacuated Monday morning as police investigated. Students and staff at nearby Taos High School and the Taos Integrated School for the Arts were ordered to shelter in place.
Suspect Was Not near Credit Union
Investigators found no firearms or explosive devices, and Graves was not near the credit union during the police response, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican.
Montez said Graves apparently had unresolved issues involving his Nusenda account, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican.
“He was making reference to some issues with his account that he wasn’t able to address,” Montez said. “All of these threats were made [from] the same person. Several phone calls were made from this person to Nusenda.”
Maintenance Workers Mistaken for Possible Suspects
The threats also led to a tense encounter involving maintenance workers at the nearby Cruz Alta Shopping Center, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican.
At about 11:30 a.m. Monday, two Taos police officers armed with rifles climbed onto the roof of a Harbor Freight store after two men were spotted there. Police subsequently determined the men were maintenance workers and had no connection to the threats.
Mike Compton, who manages the shopping center, said he watched as officers confronted one of his employees, 18-year-old Benny Struck.
“We were standing here watching, and Benny — this guy in the brown shirt that works for me — both of [the officers]had their rifles aimed at him at close range and told him to kneel down, put his hands up,” Compton told the Santa Fe New Mexican. “They went down and checked him out. They eventually let him come down.”
‘It Scared Me So Bad’
Compton said watching the encounter frightened him.
“It scared me so bad seeing those two guys aim their guns at an 18-year-old kid that was just there working,” he said.
Struck said he was working on the roof when he heard two people yelling at him.
“So, I got up and it was two officers telling me to put my hands behind my back and get on my knees,” Struck told the Santa Fe New Mexican. “It was scary.”
Police determined Struck and the other maintenance worker were not involved in the threats against the credit union, the publication reported.
