Casino Crime Roundup: Washington Casino Visitor Linked to 50 Holdups

Posted on: March 9, 2023, 08:24h. 

Last updated on: March 10, 2023, 03:33h.

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

A 35-year-old New Jersey woman was arrested last week after allegedly brandishing a taser and a knife during an attempted robbery at Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City.

Harrah's Resort Atlantic City
Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City, pictured above. The gaming property was the site of an attempted robbery. (Image: Booking.com)

Sarah Watson, 35, of Somers Point, allegedly placed the knife up to a victim’s throat and demanded $700 last Friday, according to BreakingAC, a regional news site.

She appeared in Superior Court and remained incarcerated at the Atlantic County Justice Facility.

The incident began when Watson got into an argument with others at the casino. During a court appearance, Watson’s attorney, Raquel DeStefano, said that his client told others to call the police because of the dispute over money and never threatened the victim with the weapons.

But Atlantic County Superior Court Judge Patricia Wild said, “I don’t believe for a minute that she didn’t use the taser and knife,” BreakingAC reported.

Watson reportedly was already charged with unrelated hindering and drug counts. She is also the subject of a prostitution warrant and previously was incarcerated for a drug conviction, according to Wild.

 Suspect in 50 Washington State Robberies

A man allegedly robbed a Washington State gas station half an hour after visiting the nearby Snoqualmie Casino. He was arrested recently and is a suspect in numerous other holdups.

On January 23, Allen Mekto, 22, was prevented from entering the casino because he didn’t have proper ID. A short time later, Mekto drove to a nearby Chevron station, where he allegedly fired a shot into the ceiling and demanded cash from an employee. Mekto got the money and fled in a car that crashed that day in Tukwila, Wash.

When checking casino surveillance cameras, it was discovered Mekto was at the casino on at least five other occasions. Authorities saw that on January 20, Mekto wore clothes at the casino that matched the clothes worn by a suspect in an Issaquah, Wash., cigar store robbery that same day. The clothes also matched what a suspect wore while robbing a dry-cleaning business in Bellevue, Wash., also that day.

King County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Ian Michels-Slettvet said Mekto may be a suspect in 50 other robberies in western Washington.

Mekto was arrested at a Kent motel on February 28. He was charged with first-degree robbery and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, Washington State TV station KOMO reported.

No word yet on other charges. He was booked at King County jail and had bail set at $280K.

Florida Casino Meetup Leads to Burglary

On Wednesday, the Broward Sheriff’s Office announced that two women allegedly stole several items from a man at his Florida residence after the trio met at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood.

The man and the would-be suspects met and hung out at the gaming property on December 18, 2022. He then invited the ladies back to his Pompano Beach home, according to Florida TV station WPEC.

The following morning, the women were gone. So, too, were the man’s firearm, sneakers, and watches.

Authorities didn’t have a value on the missing items.