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GoogleAndrew Welsh Craze and Samuel Cory Owen are facing one count each of aggravated gambling promotion -- a class E felony.
The trial is expected to last through today.
Craze and Owen were allegedly two of the card dealers caught in a raid executed Aug. 12 of last year at 101 Tillett Court, where high dollar poker games were held.
Thirty-three people were caught in the raid with seven charged with felonies and 26 others with misdemeanor gambling.
The raid followed an investigation by the Shelbyville Police Department, the 17th Judicial District Drug Task Force, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Authorities took $48,000 in cash, gambling paraphernalia, a small amount of marijuana and firearms in the raid.
The two other card dealers, Neal C. Phillips and Christian E. Jeppsen II, have already pleaded guilty to their involvement.
Special Agents Richard Lewis and Darryl Richardson of the TBI and Special Agent Richard Poff of the FBI are expected to testify, along with Victor Gill, the security guard for the gaming house, other law enforcement officials and two of the players caught the night of the raid.
Assistant District Attorney Mike Randles asked potential jurors if they had read comments left on the Times-Gazette website in connection with published stories about the raid.
Telling jurors there has been "a fair amount of opinion on this story" expressed in the comments, Randles asked if they could be fair in deliberating the case since it appeared there was much debate on the website over whether gambling should be illegal or permitted and if "the police should spend their time on something else."
In July, the alleged ringleaders of the gaming operation, James Chad Tucker and his wife, Christina Tucker, entered guilty pleas in Eastern District Federal Court in Chattanooga.
The Tuckers were indicted in March on violation of 18 USC 1955, prohibition of illegal gambling businesses, according to federal court documents.
The couple, who could be facing possible maximum sentences of five years each, are scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 26 before District Judge Harry S. Mattice Jr.
Last September 15 people who were facing the misdemeanor charges pleaded guilty, paid fines and court costs totaling $327 each and gave up any money was seized during the raid of the gaming house.
Craze is represented by attorney Kirk Catron and Owen is represented by Derek Howell.
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The folks wanting them to hang high for it will be pleased. Know there's alot worse things in BC to worry about.
Any time there is gambling of an illegal nature. Organized crime such as gangs are soon to be wanting there part of the take. It has happened before and it WILL continue to happen. When you have this element the addition of drugs WILL follow. It is necessary to stop the illegal gambling due to the FACT that more aggressive crime will follow in its wake. This is evident throughout history. Read, do research, and arm yourself with knowledge, because intelligence is a sharper sword than the dull pin knife of ignorance.
Whether or not you get busted in Bedford County for gambling very much depends on who you are connected to. Businesses in Bedford County that make cash payoffs on their video gambling machines are well known and they've openly practiced this illegal activity for years. Parlay cards for the purposes of wagering on football games are also illegal and openly distributed here. The only obvious conclusion to arrive at is that these individuals were busted because they weren't smart enough to get connected to anyone that could protect them.
Any time there is gambling of an illegal nature. Organized crime such as gangs are soon to be wanting there part of the take. It has happened before and it WILL continue to happen. When you have this element the addition of drugs WILL follow. It is necessary to stop the illegal gambling due to the FACT that more aggressive crime will follow in its wake. This is evident throughout history. Read, do research, and arm yourself with knowledge, because intelligence is a sharper sword than the dull pin knife of ignorance.
-- Posted by docudrama on Tue, Sep 29, 2009, at 7:24 PM
Really?? Were you even aware that this "gambling house" was even there? Please site the trouble that has stemmed from this "gambling House" being in this area.
DOCUDRAMA, You have got to be kidding me. You are stereotyping about something you obviously know nothing about. The game with the type of people you are talking about was across town and has been goin on for about 15 years, and even though, I have never heard of any violence or drug arrests due to that poker game. If you think for one minute that this raid has caused all poker games to disappear, you are sadly mistaken. This game had very well respected business men (and women) attending. Heck, I bet that was even your preacher that was there on occassion.