Posted 12:10 am Saturday, March 16, 2013
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Jacksonville store owner heading to judge on illegal gambling charges
By KELLY GOOCH
kgooch@tylerpaper.com
A Jacksonville store owner accused of having an illegal gambling operation in his business is expected to go before a judge today, according to police.
kgooch@tylerpaper.com
A Jacksonville store owner accused of having an illegal gambling operation in his business is expected to go before a judge today, according to police.
The man is charged with keeping a gambling place, a class A misdemeanor punishable with a fine of up to $4,000 and/or up to a year in jail.
Sgt. Jason Price said police responded to a disturbance Thursday at the store, and an officer saw what he thought was an illegal gambling device and took a photo.
Authorities also contacted a former employee and found out there were indeed illegal devices there, and arrest and search warrants were obtained, Price said. The owner was arrested about 11 a.m. Friday, and the search warrant produced 15 video gambling machines, according to police.
“It was open to the public, which was odd. … A person was actually in the store playing an illegal gambling device when we served the warrant, (and that person) was identified and released,” Price said.
Price could not say exactly how long the operation had been in place. However, he said evidence showed that the machines appeared to have jackpots of a certain amount of money, and there were set limits.
He said the machines also didn’t pay out directly and appeared to be lucrative for the accused owner.
Additionally, he said police also had indication that the owner knew he was breaking the law. His bond is expected to be set this morning.
Price encouraged anyone with questions about the legality of their machines to contact local law enforcement.
“It was open to the public, which was odd. … A person was actually in the store playing an illegal gambling device when we served the warrant, (and that person) was identified and released,” Price said.
Price could not say exactly how long the operation had been in place. However, he said evidence showed that the machines appeared to have jackpots of a certain amount of money, and there were set limits.
He said the machines also didn’t pay out directly and appeared to be lucrative for the accused owner.
Additionally, he said police also had indication that the owner knew he was breaking the law. His bond is expected to be set this morning.
Price encouraged anyone with questions about the legality of their machines to contact local law enforcement.
