Authorities say a Michigan couple – both school bus drivers – face assorted felony charges after they allegedly embezzled money to purchase an arsenal of weapons that included a machine gun and thousands of rounds of ammunition.



Sarah NIck, left, and Steve Nick. (Source: Genesee County Sheriff.)

Steve Nick, 33, and his wife, Sarah, 32, of Davison Township, both belong to the Southeast Michigan Volunteer Militia, Genesee County Sheriff Robert Pickell told reporters at a news conference Tuesday. Steven Nick is a gunner for the militia and Sarah Nick is as a medic and grenadier, WNEM-TV in Saginaw reported.

The couple was arrested on March 27 on a combined total of 15 felony charges, including embezzlement, larceny by conversation, unlawful use of a credit card and possession of an illegally shortened firearm. The arrests came after an 8-month investigation that started when law enforcement received a tip about the abuse of an elder.

The Nicks were released on bond and are scheduled to appear tomorrow at a probable cause hearing.

“In all my 16 years this is probably the most unusual case we've had,” the sheriff told the Saginaw television station. “If they were going to attack they would have been well armed and would have out manned any police agency in Genesee County.”

The sheriff said the couple allegedly embezzled more than $50,000 from Sarah Nick's 67-year-old mother to buy the arsenal they stored in a bunker in the basement of their home. The arsenal included a 50-caliber machine gun, a sniper rifle with a suppressor, 17,000 rounds of ammunition, various firearm accessories and bulletproof vests, including one for their 9-year-old daughter.

The sheriff’s office investigating the couple began in August 2014 after an elder abuse task force discovered that the suspects allegedly were writing checks to themselves drawn on accounts belonging to Sarah Nick's mother, who was ill.

Pickell said detectives discovered the weapons in a bunker, accessible through a wall in the basement, and a Gadsden “Liberty or Die” flag hanging in their bedroom.

The suspects worked as school bus drivers for Davison and Flint school districts.

After her arrest, Sarah Nick was fired from her job. Steven Nick’s current status with the Davison school district is unknown, according to media reports.