Eleven area bars cited for gambling

By Ryan Gauthier, Staff Writer 10:20 PM Wednesday, January 27, 2010

MIDDLETOWN — At least 11 Middletown bars were cited Wednesday, Jan. 27, as part of a crackdown on illegal gambling machines.

The state received a complaint several bars in the area were housing illegal gambling machines, said spokeswoman Julie Hinds. It is a violation of their liquor permits to have gambling machines that pay money to customers on the premises, according to Hinds.

Police from Middletown, Monroe and the Butler County Sheriff’s Office entered 11 bars at 11 a.m. Wednesday, seizing gambling machines, bank records and undisclosed amounts of money. An additional sweep of Middletown bars took place later in the afternoon, but Hinds would not say how many were involved.

The majority of charges filed were administrative violations and will go before the Ohio Liquor Control Commission, while any pending criminal charges will be filed in the Middletown Municipal Court, she said.

“In a few places officers also observed some alcohol violations, so they were able to write them up for those as well,” Hinds said.

Jimmy Valentine, owner of the Lakeside Inn on Tytus Avenue, said he does not know why police hauled off his two electronic gambling machines.

“I wasn’t making any money personally off of those machines,” Valentine said. “As bad as business is in Middletown you think they’d just let people go and do what they can do to make a buck.”

Also involved in the first wave of citations Wednesday, according to Hinds, were: Bill’s Open Door Cafe, 2715 Burbank Ave.; Lefferson Inn, 2908 Lefferson Road; Bucks Sports Bar and Grille, 1300 Central Ave.; Buster’s, 1819 Casper Ave.; Ye Olde Dutch Tavern, 2716 N. Verity Parkway; Third Base Cafe, 911 Crawford St.; Jenny B’s Hillbilly Heaven, 2502 Atco Ave.; Mutts Main Bar, 2703 South Main St.; Madison Inn, 101 Front St.; and The Blue Goose, 3008 Tytus Ave.

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2871 or rgauthier@coxohio.com.

Jan. 24

A 29-year-old man was Tased by police after allegedly fleeing from an officer attempting to arrest him on an active warrant. Police made contact with Frank McClain in the 4300 block of Roosevelt Boulevard, but said he tried to run away from them following a brief distraction. McClain reportedly took off running from officers, but not before throwing his coat down at the front door of a nearby Speedway gas station. Following a short foot pursuit, officers deployed a Taser and were able to subdue McClain. A search of his pants and jacket, officers located 3.71 grams of marijuana and 7.55 grams of what they believe to be crack cocaine. McClain was arrested for obstructing official business, two counts of drug abuse and an active bench warrant.

A North Carolina man told police he was robbed by an unknown subject near Old Smith Park. The 37-year-old said he was walking northbound on Main Street when a man approximately 5’10” tall came up behind him and hit him in the back of the head. The assailant then allegedly assaulted him and demanded he give him all of his money, consisting of $100 in cash. The man said he went back to his daughter’s house, where he cleaned his wounds. Officers noted some injuries to the man’s face, but said he did not require any medical treatment.

Middletown police are looking into an alleged domestic violence case in which two passengers reportedly leapt from a moving vehicle to escape an abusive man. The female car owner said a 29-year-old Hamilton man had been driving her vehicle when he grabbed her by the hair, held her down in her seat and began driving at a high rate of speed. A woman riding in the back of the car told police she jumped from the window of the vehicle when he slowed down enough. The owner remained in the vehicle until it reached the intersection of 14th and Minnesota avenues, police report. She then reportedly jumped out of the car and began screaming for help. The two women filed charges of domestic violence and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle against Jeff Knight, of the 500 block of Front Street. Police report they have yet to arrest Knight.