TBI Raids Bedford County Gambling Operation
Friday, August 22, 2008 | 08:55am
SHELBYVILLE, Tenn. -The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, along with several other local law enforcement agencies, raided a Shelbyville, TN gambling operation Tuesday night that netted 33 arrests and allowed police to seize thousands in cash.
At approximately 8:15 pm, the TBI, Shelbyville Police Department, the 17th Judicial Drug Task Force and the Tennessee Highway Patrol executed a search warrant on a building located at 101 Tillett Circle, Shelbyville, TN. Inside, investigators found four commercial poker tables each with room for ten players plus a dealer. There were more than two dozen players, one security guard, four dealers and two promoters. Each player would purchase $200.00, $500.00 or $1000.00 in poker chips with a portion going to the house out of every hand. Law enforcement seized $48,000 in cash, gambling paraphernalia, a small amount of marijuana and firearms.
The two promoters, James Chad Tucker, 38, and his wife, Christina Tucker, 37, of 406 Meadowlark Drive, Shelbyville, TN were each charged with one count of Aggravated Gambling Promotion, a Class E Felony, and one count of Possession of Gambling Devices. They were booked into the Bedford County jail along with the four dealers and security guard who were each charged with Aggravated Gambling Promotion. The 26 players were each cited for gambling and released.
The Tuesday night gambling operation has been under investigation for the last four months. It is estimated to have been in operation less than a year.