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Troopers Stand Ready at Country Crossings; Facility Closed
01/29/10 - 09:54 AM
Jackson County Floridan
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click for larger image Dothan, AL

More than 30 Alabama State troopers left Country Crossing Friday morning, though as many as 40 or 50 troopers remain, after arriving around 4 a.m. Friday morning for an apparent raid of the electronic bingo pavilion.

Around 8 a.m. a line of about 30 trooper vehicles which were parked near the electronic bingo pavilion, pulled away from the development and headed north on Highway 231. Meanwhile, the remaining troopers have said they will stay on site awaiting further instructions.

Other than the troopers and the media, there are a handful of people on the site sitting in their cars. There are no protestors at the site.

Alabama state troopers arrived at Country Crossing before daylight Friday, setting the stage for an attempted raid. The troopers are standing at the bingo hall’s entrance, awaiting instruction in the early morning hours.

Country Crossing lawyers Will Matthews and Will Somerville have told state troopers they have no legal standing to be at Country Crossing and are asking them to leave.

Matthews referred to the troopers as “burglars,“ saying they were on private property without a search warrant or court order. Matthews said he counted 135 state vehicles.

State Trooper Maj. Mark McHenry said the troopers will stay until told otherwise by ‘a higher authority.‘

Country Crossing has asked all patrons to leave, and the doors were chained shut shortly before 2 a.m.

Country Crossing spokesman Doug Rainer said about 1 a.m. that Gov. Riley’s Task Force On Illegal Gambling would likely raid the facility this morning. The first of more than 100 government and trooper vehicles rolled into the complex at 4:07 a.m.

Since that time, the facility has been dark and there has been no movement. Agents remain in their cars in the parking lot for the most part and the power has been shut off at the main bingo and restaurant facility. Onlookers, or possibly employees of Country Crossing, had started to make their way to the facility by 6 a.m.

Country Crossing spokesman Jay Walker said similar raids were being conducted at facilities around the state, including the largest, VictoryLand in Shorter. VictoryLand has 6,400 electronic bingo machines. Country Crossing has 1,703.

User Comments

Good points. I saw the same thing when I lived in Omaha.  Every few years they would try to pass casinos to keep the money on that side.  If you want to see how casinos can be done in a small town, look up Council Bluffs, Iowa.  I hope that is in the future for PC or PCB.

Posted by Brian7  on  01/30  at  02:00 AM

I don’t understand the big deal, if people want to go spend their money in Alabama, and it’s creating jobs there, why try so hard to get rid of it. I wish they would legalize casino’s here, imagine the amount of jobs it would create, and not to mention the income for our area. I used to work at a resort on the beach, the 1st thing people would ask when they got here was, where is the nearest casino, we had to say Biloxi. These were very wealthy middle age to older people, everyone who says they don’t want casinos in our area because it draws in the riff raff are not very well informed, actually it would bring people with money in and possibly get some of the spring breakers out. You don’t see spring breakers going to Vegas, but you do see people with money, celebrities and such. Spring breakers cost us money rather than making us money, by the time these resorts repair all the damage they’ve done, they really don’t profit. MTV brings the riff raff, and lets not forget, Girls Gone Wild

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)  on  01/30  at  01:33 AM

What will Governor Riley’s next career be? IF they are operating something illegal, why was it licensed in the first place?

Posted by Brian7  on  01/29  at  01:33 PM
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