Corbin police raid store, seize video poker machines

Police raided a south Corbin store Tuesday morning and confiscated eight video poker machines – a move, authorities say, that came on the heels of numerous complaints about them from local residents.

Corbin Police Capt. Tim Helton, the lead investigator in the case, said the machines were seized from Convenient Food Mart on Cumberland Falls Hwy. Authorities executed a search warrant at the store, obtained after an undercover Operation UNITE Detective used one of the machines days before and received a cash payout for winnings from a store clerk.

Corbin Police Capt. Tim Helton and Public Works employee Mike Wagers seize one of eight video poker machines taken from Convenient Food Mart on Cumberland Falls Hwy. Tuesday.

“Ownership of the machines is being determined at this time,” Helton said following the raid Tuesday. “I don’t know what the deal is between the store owners or the people that own the machines. I don’t know if they lease them or what they do.”

While police were seizing the machines Tuesday, Gary Webb, who co-owns the store with Henry Gilmore, said the machines were owned by someone from London. He declined to answer further questions about the case.

Neither the store’s owners or any employees were charged criminally for the machine. Helton said Whitley County Commonwealth’s Attorney Allen Trimble advised him not to file any criminal charges, but instead to present the case to the next meeting of the grand jury and let them sort out whom, if anyone will face charges.

“A bevy of people could be charged,” Helton said. “We are going to leave it all up to the grand jury.”
Helton said any “electronic gaming machines” the provide cash payouts to players are illegal in Kentucky.

Charges for owning or housing them range from misdemeanor to felony offenses. If five or more people are involved in the operation of the machines, they could be charged with criminal conspiracy, Helton said, a felony offense.

Other items were seized as evidence from the store. Helton would not elaborate on what was taken.
Helton said he has not formally interviewed employees or owners of the store and would not comment on whether he planned to in the future.

Authorities are currently investigating the frequency and amount of payoffs made by the store to those who played the machines.

“I guess it just all depends on how lucky people are and how many people are playing them on any particular day,” Helton said. “The payouts can cover a big range.”

Authorities said there was a nominal amount of money in the machines when confiscated, but would not give the amount.

“It wasn’t much,” Helton said. “They emptied them out and they hadn’t been playing that heavy yet in the morning when we got them.”

According to Helton, there is a “strong possibility” that more of the machines will be confiscated from stores in and around the city in the near future.

Employees from the city’s Public Works Department assisted police in loading the machines from Convenient Food Mart and transporting them to the police department’s evidence room for storage.