Whoa Ho! China Grove!

Looks like they had a little dust up in China Grove.

Normally I hate it when the police ignore real crime to bust up a friendly home game. In this case, it was not a friendly home game, but a for profit business. That really doesn't bother me. If you run an illicit business like this, you can expect to get arested. It's a cost of doing business. I really prefer that the house not take a rake. If I want to play for high stakes, I'll go to AC or Vegas. Good luck guys.

Salisbury Post
CHINA GROVE — SBI agents and local law enforcement officers raided a poker game two weeks ago on Stirewalt Road where the buy-in fee for players was $500 each.
The Texas hold 'em poker game promised a 90 percent payoff, with the "house" keeping 10 percent.
With a $7,500 pot in the mix Nov. 9, the winner would have received 55 percent, or $4,125.
But officers raided the game halfway through the night's first hand.
A pair of armed, undercover officers were among the night's 15 players.
Lt. Kevin Auten, head of the Rowan County Sheriff's Department's special investigations unit, said the District Attorney's office was concerned mainly with bringing gambling charges against three men who were running the game and possibly two dealers.
No charges have been filed against the other players.
"That's where the line was drawn," Auten said.
The Sheriff's Department charged David Alexander Tilley, 63, of 2020 Stirewalt Road, China Grove; Charles Lewis Fellows of 1224 S. Fulton St., Salisbury; and John Luther Safrit of 931 N. Main St., Salisbury.
All three were charged with one count each of gambling, a Class 2 misdemeanor. Their first court appearance will be Dec. 16 in Rowan County District Court.
The game was being held in a garage at Tilley's residence.
Fellows was the "meet-and-greet fellow at the door," Auten said, and players paid their $500 buy-in to Safrit. The trio also were players. The two dealers were in addition to the 15 players.
The names and telephone numbers of Tilley and Fellows also were listed on a flyer that was being circulated to advertise the Wednesday night games.
Auten said it's believed that the Nov. 9 game was only the second one held at Tilley's residence.
A citizen made the Sheriff's Department aware of the flyer being circulated. It promised a 90 percent payoff, with 55 percent going to the night's winner, 20 percent to second place, 10 percent to third place and $500 (a return of the buy-in fee) for fourth place.
The flyer also noted that parking was in the back and entry to the garage was through a back door. "Doors opened" at 5 p.m. and closed at 6:30 p.m., according to the flyer.
Auten said the garage had blankets over the windows. Snacks and drinks were available, but no alcohol, he added.
Members of the SBN, Sheriff's Department, Landis Police Department and Salisbury Police Department executed the search warrant that allowed them to break up the game.
Officers seized the $7,500 that represented the players' entry fees. The SBN processed the scene.
Auten said this particular raid doesn't mean his investigations unit is scouring the county, looking for poker games at people's houses. But this particular game drew the Sheriff's Department's attention for two reasons.
Clearly, from the flyers in hand, the game was being run out of Tilley's house as a for-profit business, Auten said. The profit for the house on Nov. 9 would have been $750, for example.
Officers also were concerned about the flyers which, by calling the telephone numbers provided, directed people to the game.
Auten said it presented a safety concern in that anybody — someone armed, for example, and unknown to the game's sponsors and other players — could arrive at the residence knowing a large amount of money was going to be on hand.
The fact that the undercover officers were able to buy into the game offered proof enough, Auten noted.
"That flyer — we got it, who else could have gotten it?" Auten said.
Auten said he is not aware that the men charged have faced prior gambling charges.