Casino Crime News Roundup: Ailing Woman Refused Entry to Casino

A sick woman who didn’t bring her service dog with her into Nevada’s Nugget Casino Resort reportedly was ordered to leave the gaming property.

Nevada’s Nugget Casino Resort
Nevada’s Nugget Casino Resort, pictured above. A woman was ordered to leave the property after she didn’t come with a service dog. (Image: Travel Nevada)

Heather Vanus, who reportedly suffers from epilepsy, recently tried to visit the casino where she typically goes many times each week. But, about two weeks ago, the Reno resident didn’t have her medical assistance dog, Cherry, at her side. Cherry had to stay home because the dog had just gotten neutered.

So, Vanus went to the casino with her fiancé.

When a security guard saw Cherry wasn’t there, he gave Vanus an ultimatum.

They said you can either remove yourself, or you can leave in cuffs,” Vanus recalled to Nevada TV station KOLO. “After it happened, my fiancé looked at me and asked if that really just happened.”

“Security told me that if she [Cherry] stayed at home, then I should have stayed at home with her,” Vanus said.

She also explained to KOLO she’s been a regular at the Nugget Casino for three years.

“They know who we are. When we come in, they automatically bring me water for my dog,” Vanus said about the staff at the casino.

Cherry knows how to alert the woman if a seizure is on the way.

The Nugget Casino declined to comment on the incident to KOLO, but the casino said in a statement it “is fully committed to complying with all ADA requirements, and we welcome all guests with disabilities who use service animals … we remain dedicated to offering an inclusive environment for all our guests.”

Four Suspects Charged After Raid

An October 17 search of an alleged gambling operation in East Oakland, Calif. led to four arrests and police seizing money and gaming devices.

An unspecified number of gambling machines, cash, three firearms, ammo, and suspected illegal drugs were seized during the raid, according to CBS News. Police also seized several vehicles that had been reported stolen.

Police obtained a search warrant for the property after being alerted about suspicious activity at the site.

Four suspects inside the structure were arrested but were not identified.

“The department and City of Oakland will seek criminal and civil accountability for those involved in this illegal and dangerous operation, which has contributed to blight in the neighborhood,” the Oakland Police Department said in a recent statement about the raid.

Cheating Alleged at Casino

A Warwick, RI man was arrested Saturday after he allegedly cheated while gambling at a Lincoln gaming property.

Michael J. Budz, 32, was charged with casino cheating, according to the Newport Dispatch.

Budz allegedly improperly made a bet with knowledge of the outcome, according to Rhode Island State Police. He was released and will appear in court at a later date.

The post Casino Crime News Roundup: Ailing Woman Refused Entry to Casino appeared first on Casino.org.

Woman Shot at Missouri Casino Garage, Fighting for Life in Hospital

A 27-year-old woman suffered life-threatening injuries after she was wounded Saturday in the parking garage at Missouri’s Ameristar Casino Resort Spa St. Charles.

Missouri’s Ameristar Casino Resort Spa St. Charles
Missouri’s Ameristar Casino Resort Spa St. Charles, pictured above. A woman was shot in a parking garage there. (Image: X)

The unnamed victim required surgery at a local hospital after she was shot in the neck at about 2:30 a.m., according to St. Louis, Mo. TV station KTVI.

St. Charles Police Department were alerted and rushed to the scene.

The victim, who was on the second floor of the parking facility, was able to reveal to officers the name of her shooter.

A short time later, Calvin Koong, 50, of St. Louis, was charged with first-degree domestic assault, first-degree kidnapping, and armed criminal action.

He remained in custody at the St. Charles County Jail as of late Saturday. His bond was set at $500K.

Police said he was the victim’s boyfriend.

Victim in Parked Car

Based on casino surveillance video, the victim was inside a car owned by Koong, according to Missouri TV station KSDK.

She was in the driver’s seat and the driver’s door was opened. The woman apparently tried to leave the vehicle. Koong pushed the woman back into the car and the two got into what was described as a struggle, police said.

She eventually was able to flee from the car. But a few feet away she fell down on the garage pavement after getting wounded.

Good Samaritans rushed over to help her and provide emergency first aid. They also alerted authorities.

Koong ran away, but was blocked from leaving the area because of a concrete barrier in the parking garage.

An Ameristar Casino security guard soon arrived and spotted Koong.

Confessed to Shooting

The guard apprehended the suspect. He confessed to the guard, “I shot her. I shot her.” Koong also later confessed to police officers, KSDK reported.

Officers arrested Koong. They also searched the suspect’s car and found a firearm. It was seized as evidence.

The case was turned over to local prosecutors. If convicted, Koong could be sentenced to prison.

Police didn’t reveal a motive for the shooting.

The victim was rushed to the hospital’s emergency room. No word on the victim’s condition as of late Saturday. Details on her injuries weren’t immediately released by police.

Charges could be upgraded if the woman doesn’t survive.

The post Woman Shot at Missouri Casino Garage, Fighting for Life in Hospital appeared first on Casino.org.

Abused Las Vegas Woman Heading to Prison After Six Children Also Were Abused

A Las Vegas woman, whose stepchildren were locked in a dog cage and suffered other forms of abuse, was sentenced Thursday to at least seven years in prison.

Amanda Stamper
Amanda Stamper in a mug shot, pictured above. She was sentenced in connection with child abuse. (Image: LVMPD)

Amanda Stamper, 33, could spend as much as 18 years behind bars, under the sentence handed down by Clark County District Court Judge Nadia Krall.

While in court, Stamper apologized for the abusive conditions suffered by each of the six stepchildren.

Defendant Was Scared

“I’m embarrassed to be here,” Stamper told the judge before sentencing. “I know I should have done something sooner.”

I do take full responsibility for it. I was not in the best situation either and I was scared.”

When Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) officers arrived at their apartment last June after Stamper called 911, two of the six kids were in the locked cage. Four others were in the apartment. All were unattended.

They each suffered from various abuse which took place over the course of a year, prosecutors revealed.

None of the children were enrolled in school, even though they ranged in age from two to 11 years old.

In December, Stamper pleaded guilty to reduced charges of three counts of child abuse, neglect, or endangerment. She had been indicted on seven counts of child abuse and neglect.

Every single day the defendant failed to protect her six stepchildren,” Clark County Chief Deputy District Attorney Dena Rinetti revealed in court. “Her actions and her inactions will affect these children for the rest of their lives.”

Husband Faces 42 Charges

Stamper’s husband, Travis Doss, 32, a rapper known professionally as “Trap Montana,” allegedly abused the children.

One of the kids was forced by Doss to live in the dog cage for five days and apparently was given no food to eat, Rinetti said in court.

At another point, Doss sent Stamper a photo of a kid who appeared deceased after abusive conditions, Rinetti said. The youngster didn’t die.

At least some of the children were beaten to such an extent with a skillet, it had “dents in it from the children’s heads,” Stamper has claimed.

Doss has been indicted on 38 counts of child abuse, two counts of first-degree kidnapping, a count of sex trafficking, and a count of living off of the earnings of a prostitute.

Doss’s case is pending after he pled not guilty to the multiple charges. He’s scheduled to next appear in court on Thursday and remains in the Clark County Detention Center.

Stamper was the victim in the sex trafficking case, according to Las Vegas TV station KLAS.

Because of the abuse she suffered, Stamper should have been given probation rather than time in prison, her attorney, Caesar Almase, argued before the judge.

Very clearly she was not thinking rationally,” Almase said.

The couple were the birth parents of two other children. They were not abused, Stamper revealed.

Both Stamper and Doss have faced charges in other states, KLAS reported. The couple first met in Atlanta in 2017, according to the New York Post.

The post Abused Las Vegas Woman Heading to Prison After Six Children Also Were Abused appeared first on Casino.org.

Washington State Woman with TB Faces Jail After Casino Visit

An unnamed Tacoma, Wash. woman who refuses to isolate with tuberculosis (TB) has visited an area casino at least once, according to court documents seen by The Tacoma News Tribune.

TB, tuberculosis, Tacoma, Casino Washington state
TB is a life-threatening bacterial infection that attacks the lungs. It killed 1.6 million people worldwide in 2021, but US deaths are rare, and  it can be treated with antibiotics. (Image: MyMed)

The woman, identified in filings only as “V.N.,” has been ordered by the Pierce County Superior Court to isolate and receive treatment for the disease. But thus far, she has failed to comply, The News Tribune reports.

V.N. has had the disease for over a year and has ignored over a dozen court orders.

On March 2, the woman was found to be in contempt of those orders and a warrant was issued for her arrest. Nevertheless, as of April 5, she remained at large and continued to avoid detention, according to court documents filed last week.

At the time of publication, it is not clear whether V.N. has been apprehended by the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office.

Public Consumption

A corrections officer has been assigned to surveil the respondent to “determine her habits in order to execute the warrant in a safe manner,” according to the filings.

The officer “observed a person they believed to be respondent leave her residence, get onto a city bus, and arrive at a local casino,” the documents said.

While TB is a life-threatening bacterial infection that attacks the lungs, frequent visitors to Tacoma-area casinos probably shouldn’t panic. Transmission usually occurs only after prolonged, frequent, or close contact with an infected individual.

That means it is far more likely to be transferred between members of the same household. Even then, 90% of those infected are asymptomatic and cannot pass on the disease. This is known as latent TB. For the 10% who develop active TB, the deathrate is around 66% if effective treatment is not received.

Global Killer

In 2021, the disease killed around 1.6 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. Just 526 of those deaths occurred in the US, per figures from the CDC. Washington state averages around 200 cases per year, according to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department (TPCHD).

Treatment for active TB involves prolonged antibiotics courses of between four and 20 weeks because some strains of the disease are resistant to certain medications. This is something V.N. shows no willingness to be subjected to, according to court filings.

In a blog post days before V.N.’s arrest warrant was issued, the TPCHD admitted that such cases involve a fine balance between the risk to the public and the civil liberties of the patient.

“We are always hopeful a patient will choose to comply voluntarily. Seeking to enforce a court order through a civil arrest warrant is always our last resort,” the health department said.

The post Washington State Woman with TB Faces Jail After Casino Visit appeared first on Casino.org.