View from the cop: Crime & punishment
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AJC.com > Metro > View from the cop > Archives > 2007 > April > 10
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Gambling on an appreciation of satire
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Just when they thought they were the 17th safest city in the nation, the citizens of Roswell, known for trendy and cute subdivision names as well as bow ties and brick, were shocked to learn 27 people were arrested and charged with various gambling violations following a six-month long investigation into complaints that “gambling nights” were being conducted inside their city limits.
A police spokesperson, said they were tipped off by a number of people who complained of unusual activity in the fashionable and safe community. Such activity including large numbers of cars parked along the roadway, trolleys and shuttle buses operating, late-night deliveries from “Poker Chips R Us” and a nightly midnight quarter-mile horse races around the fashionable neighborhood block.
Detectives said this was the first time they had ever seen a gambling operation this sophisticated although three years ago, several seniors from the Chattahoochee Elders Club were charged in a Chutes-and-Ladders-for-profit racket.
The six-month investigation netted persons from as far away as Savannah, and Macon. The two men from Macon said they really weren’t interested in the gambling but had tickets to see Celine Dion, who was scheduled to appear in the backyard gazebo on Saturday.
The guy from Savannah said he thought he was at a bridge convention and had come to meet Omar Sharif.
When officers entered the fashionable Roswell home, decorated in a Victorian motif, with a very smart Exquisite Angelic Innocence Sculpture, they immediately noticed a bar setup including an attractive Serving Cart from the Carved Furniture Collection that demonstrates true pride in fine craftsmanship and attention to detail.
Several women were serving drinks to a number of gambling tables and members of Cirque Du Soleil were doing back flips in the kitchen.
Lawyers for several of the defendants insist their clients did not attend the residence to gamble but instead were signed up for the third shift “Tour of Homes.”
The question now becomes whether or not Parma, Ohio, ranked 18th safest city in the nation, will have a shot at moving up. A spokesman for the Parma said: “We can’t worry about what they’re doing. We have to take things day by day and keep our cops focused on our game. It’s a team effort here in Parma and it’s a long season until the next Morgan Quitno Awards. Anything can happen. We’re just trying to keep our staff healthy and on the streets putting up those good numbers day to day.”
A neighbor, speaking from her slightly opened windowed door of colored glass first used in the houses and villas of wealthy Romans and in the palaces of the emperors in the first century, told reporters “It’s not a door, it’s an entryway!” She then closed the entryway but soon reopened it, for effect. She said that she thought it was odd when the owners of the house spent the winter remodeling the home. The end result looked strikingly like the Bellagio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. One officer admitted “The tiny water show in the bidet was awesome.”
