Greenville man arrested for bringing gun to Louisville airport

Sep. 25—GREENVILLE — Police arrested a Greenville man at Louisville Muhammed Ali International Airport on Sunday morning after a firearm was detected in his carry-on bag at the TSA checkpoint.

Michael Van Bree, 60, is charged with carrying a concealed deadly weapon and due in court in Louisville on Wednesday for arraignment.

According to the arrest report in the case a firearm was detected in one of his bags at around 6:30 a.m. and when a TSA agent told Van Bree it was detected, the suspect reached onto the belt and grabbed his two bags. One of those bags had the firearm inside and was still inside of the X-ray machine.

Van Bree then allegedly took off walking into a secured area.

At about 7:00 a.m. a ground stop was placed on all aircraft. Surveillance video showed Van Bree had boarded a Southwest Airlines flight to Las Vegas at gate B17.

Airport Police started de-boarding the aircraft, identified Van Bree and pulled him to the side.

When they searched his bags they found a Smith and Wesson MP40 handgun in his backpack.

Natalie Chaudoin, an SDF spokesperson, told News and Tribune partners WAVE-TV that passenger screening and departing flight operations resumed as normal around 7:45 a.m.

Chaudoin told WAVE-TV rescreening of passengers is standard procedure anytime anyone is removed from a plane due to security reasons.

Van Bree was arrested and placed under a $10,000 bond.

Bond was posted on Sunday.