Courtesy Tyler Police Department

The Smith County District Attorney’s Office has dropped the charges against a Terrell man who faced a charge of engaging in organized criminal activity. The charge came after a Tyler Police Department investigation into illegal gaming rooms in November.

Another man has pleaded guilty to a state jail felony for engaging in organized criminal activity. He could serve six months in a state jail facility after a plea agreement was reached in the 114th District Court. 

Jason Henry Rankin, 46, of Terrell, had the state jail felony that he faced dropped and refiled as a misdemeanor gambling charge. 

The state’s motion for dismissal in State of Texas vs. Jason Henry Rankin came on Thursday.

The document said while there was sufficient probable cause at the time of the arrest and charge of Rankin for the offense, it is the State’s position that the interest of justice and judicial economy would best be served if the charge is dismissed. 

John Christopher Borgstedt, 39, of Ben Wheeler, agreed to a plea deal on Thursday in the 114th District Court of Smith County. His guilty plea to a state jail felony of engaging in organized criminal activity could require him to serve a six month sentence in a state jail facility, according to the agreed punishment recommendation in State vs. John Borgstedt. 

According to Smith County judicial records, Borgstedt will be back in court for sentencing on June 5.

Borgstedt was arrested on Nov. 30, 2016, after undercover investigations into an illegal gambling establishment located at 829 Lindsey Lane.  

Tyler police in December and January sent a series of letters warning business owners that gambling, promoting gambling, possession of gambling devices and keeping a gambling place are all illegal in Texas. 

The Smith County Sheriff’s Office then sent a letter to nearly 50 game rooms in unincorporated areas within the county that was almost identical to the two sent by the police department.   

At the time the original letters went out, police indicated they had seen a dramatic increase in the number of gaming rooms operating in the city, and officials said they believed the increase was contributing to more crime at those establishments.

Tyler police and the Smith County Sheriff’s Office conducted more raids on May 17, when they seized electronic gaming devices and other evidence from seven locations. 

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