Cobb police: Officer who dealt illegal poker game resigns

By Larry Hartstein

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A Cobb County police officer who was the dealer at a Smyrna poker game resigned Wednesday, one day after an undercover operation broke up the illegal game, police said.

Christopher George Soltes, 33, had served in the department since 2001.

He was arrested Tuesday night when agents from the Organized Crime Intelligence Unit raided the Texas Hold'em game at a Vinings Forest townhome.

Soltes and homeowner Paul Miller, 42, were charged with commercial gambling, a felony. Miller also was charged with keeping a gambling place and gambling, which are misdemeanors.

"The dealer was making tip money and the house was making money off the game," Cobb Police Sgt. Dana Pierce said. He could not say what the stakes were.

Five others who were playing poker there will face misdmeanor gambling charges, police said.

The investigation began after neighbors complained about what was going on at 104 Vinings Forest Circle.

"There was a lot of activity, noise, people coming and going," Pierce said. "It was a suspicious type of activity."

Posing as a player, an undercover officer got in the game Tuesday night.

"He infiltrated, went inside, sat down as if he was going to play and gathered the information," Pierce said.

Fellow officers raided the game around 9 p.m.

Soltes and Miller each was released on $5,000 bond.