Buffalo Run Casino Scheme Leads to Duo Robbing Trucker in Oklahoma

Posted on: August 23, 2022, 05:37h. 

Last updated on: August 24, 2022, 02:10h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More
Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

Two suspects were arrested Sunday in Oklahoma after one allegedly aimed an assault rifle at a man parked at a casino in a semi-truck. The other robbed him.

Karla Lassen in a mug shot. She was arrested for her alleged role in a robbery at an Oklahoma casino. She left behind a pair of underwear in a truck parked at a casino lot. (Image: Ottawa County Jail)

The incident began when a blonde woman, Karla Lassen, 38, of Kansas, approached the man in Buffalo Run Casino, according to Four States Homepage News, a Missouri-based news site. She asked him for a lighter.

The two talked, then went back to his truck cab. After he paid her $20 for an undisclosed reason, he went to sleep. Lassen exited the truck but left a pair of underwear behind. He later awoke when he heard a knock on the cab’s passenger door. He opened the door for Lassen.

She forced her way into the cab, police said. A second suspect, Kalen McRay, 35, also of Kansas, was standing outside. He was armed with a weapon that appeared to be a “machine gun,” the report said. He remained by the truck door, police said. Lassen then allegedly swiped unidentified items belonging to the man, and the duo fled.

The victim searched the cab. He saw a cell phone and a pair of women’s underwear that did not belong to him. He then called the cops.

Police arrived and checked the surveillance video. They saw the car in which the two were passengers before the robbery. Police later located the car and questioned the driver. That person claimed to be unaware of the robbery.

Rifle, Meth, Ammo Seized

In the car’s trunk, police found what appeared to be a semi-automatic DPMS AR rifle, a quantity of suspected methamphetamine (meth), and a cell phone. Those items were seized.

Based on the information gathered, officers went to the Best Western TimberRidge Inn, located in Grove, Okla., about 30 miles from the casino. There, the suspects were apprehended.

In the motel room, police found a destroyed cell phone, several backpacks, a ghillie suit (camouflage wear), magazines for an AR-style rifle, and ammunition.

McRay and Lassen were charged with first-degree robbery, conspiracy, assault with a deadly weapon, and possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony, police said. Lassen was also charged with possession of a firearm after a former felony conviction.

Both were booked at the Ottawa County Jail. They remained in custody as of early Tuesday. Their cases will be turned over to criminal courts.

Criminal Record

Previously, Lassen was sentenced by a judge to five months in a Kansas correctional facility for a 2019 burglary conviction. McRay was previously sentenced to 22 months in a Kansas correctional facility for a burglary conviction.

Buffalo Run Casino is located in Miami, Okla. It has a lounge for truckers and a gaming floor, a hotel, bars, and restaurants. Miami is 183 miles southeast of Wichita, Kan.