Gambling Boat Busted For Super Bowl Poker Tournament
POSTED: Thursday, February 3, 2005
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A casino ship operator offering Super Bowl visitors the chance to play high-stakes poker without leaving downtown was arrested Thursday morning.
Vice-squad detectives with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office and investigators with the State Attorney's Office arrested Thomas O'Donnell of Indiatlantic, Fla., aboard the Star Dancer IV, which is moored near Talleyrand.Authorities looked into complaints of illegal gambling aboard the ship after Coin Castle Casinos, which is affiliated with the Star Dancer IV, began advertising on its Web site and on local radio station that it would be holding a "Texas hold'em" poker tournament with a grand prize of $20,000 during Super Bowl week."Operating a gambling house" and "operating a cardroom" are third-degree felonies, punishable by up to five years in prison.Officials with the U.S. Coast Guard accompanied investigators as they boarded the ship Thursday morning to look for operational and safety violations.
Copyright 2005 by News4Jax.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Vice-squad detectives with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office and investigators with the State Attorney's Office arrested Thomas O'Donnell of Indiatlantic, Fla., aboard the Star Dancer IV, which is moored near Talleyrand.Authorities looked into complaints of illegal gambling aboard the ship after Coin Castle Casinos, which is affiliated with the Star Dancer IV, began advertising on its Web site and on local radio station that it would be holding a "Texas hold'em" poker tournament with a grand prize of $20,000 during Super Bowl week."Operating a gambling house" and "operating a cardroom" are third-degree felonies, punishable by up to five years in prison.Officials with the U.S. Coast Guard accompanied investigators as they boarded the ship Thursday morning to look for operational and safety violations.Copyright 2005 by News4Jax.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Authorities release the jailhouse calls of a former member of the group Equusearch who is accused of selling prescription pills.
An Arlington dentist is behind bars after authorities say he was trafficking in prescription drugs.
Homicide detectives are at the scene of a fatal shooting Tuesday afternoon in the Spring Park neighborhood, but the victim was actually found in a wrecked pickup truck a few blocks away on Emerson Street.
A fight broke out twice in St. Johns County over a car repossession on Usina Road Extension late Tuesday morning, according to the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office.
Police said a man boarded a school bus that was carrying students from a Southside middle school and the bus driver yelled out it was a man with a gun, though officers said that wasn't the case.
It was around this time, exactly one year ago, that Misty Cummings says she last saw 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings in their Satsuma home. The investigation into the child's disappearance will be a year old tomorrow... An investigation the Putnam County Sheriff's office is telling us and SHOWING us tonight -- is still very much active. The newest conversations we've received, are jailhouse calls made by Donna Brock - A former employee with Equusearch. She's charged with dealing prescription pills... the same charges that are pending against Misty and Haleigh's father, Ronald. Channel 4 Investigator Jennifer Bauer has been listening to Brock's calls.
A local private investigator talks about some of the warning signs that your spouse is cheating. (Part 2)
State inspectors found problems at several restaurants last week, three of them serious enough to warrant follow-up visits.
Melanie talks about the struggle her father and family went through as he battled his addiction to smoking and then later lung cancer.
Capturing N.E. Florida's wanted suspects is a tough task, so the local station is trying to help with the Wheel of Justice. Every Thursday morning, the wheel spins and a wanted fugitive is profiled.
Images: Fugitives On 'Wheel'
Channel 4 viewers document the heavy rain, hail and damage from a line of storms and possible tornadoes that came through northeast Florida and southeast Georgia.
Email Alerts
RSS News Feeds
Mobile
Live Streams
Slideshows
Video
Search
