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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| No Poker in Palmer - and they MEAN it! |
| 2005-05-05 |
| Swat raids on a poker club? Are you guys kidding me? Several Palmer Lake residents say Tuesday night's gambling bust at Guadala Jarra restaurant was poorly handled and unnecessary. Restaurant owner Jeff Hulsmann faces felony and misdemeanor charges for allegedly hosting gambling activity in a licensed liquor establishment and on suspicion of professional gambling, has hired an attorney. He maintains his innocence. Town board member Trish Flake, who was served a misdemeanor summons for suspicion of professional gambling, said none of the 24 people arrested during the police raid thought they were engaged in illegal activity. They were among 81 members of a poker club playing at the restaurant that night. "It was broad daylight right by the front door," she said. "I think what hasn't been reported is the aggressiveness of it. They came in with guns drawn, lasers trained on people's heads. They swarmed in screaming, 'Put your hands over your face and don't move.' I don't think I've ever been that frightened in my life." Soon-to-be-ex Palmer Lake Police Chief Dale Smith defended the tactics: "It's standard habit and practice for these kinds of situations." |
| Posted by:mojo |
| #1 Ah, Colorado Springs. Kinda sums it all up. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2005-05-05 22:02 |