Casino Crime Round Up: Mystic Lake Casino Crime, Syracuse Law Prof Put on Leave, Flint Police Chief to be Sentenced

Posted on: March 5, 2023, 12:05h. 

Last updated on: March 6, 2023, 01:12h.

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

A man was apprehended on Friday afternoon after he allegedly aimed a firearm at security guards in Minnesota’s Mystic Lake Casino and Hotel.

Minnesota’s Mystic Lake Casino and Hotel
Minnesota’s Mystic Lake Casino and Hotel, pictured above. The casino was the site of a visitor aiming a gun at a security guard. (Image: Mystic Lake Casino)

The gaming property sent out an emergency alert to warn visitors. A short time later, an unnamed 39-year-old suspect was arrested in a casino parking lot.

Local police found a loaded handgun in his possession, Minnesota TV station KSTP reported. No one was injured during the incident, Minneapolis, Minn. TV station WCCO added. He was placed in Scott County Jail. Prosecutors are considering possible charges.

The casino is located in Prior Lake, some 26 miles southwest of Minneapolis. The casino is owned and operated by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community.

Syracuse Law Prof Arrested for Alleged Casino Assault

Terry Turnipseed, a law professor at Syracuse University, was arrested recently following the assault of a woman at New York State’s Turning Stone Resort Casino. He was charged with menacing, assault, and criminal obstruction of breathing, New York State TV station WKTV reported late last week.

The incident took place in an elevator at the casino’s TS Steakhouse. The confrontation continued in a parking garage.

Turnipseed allegedly grabbed the woman by the throat and pulled her from a car by grabbing her hair, WKTV reported. When searched by officers, they found the man had a clump of hair in his pocket. The victim also suffered bleeding on her legs, police added.

The woman was able to break free from the man. She later told police she didn’t want to press charges.

Turnipseed is on administrative leave from his teaching job at Syracuse University College of Law, WKTV reported. He specializes in estate planning, estate and gift taxation, wills, trusts, and property. Previously, he was an advisor to the U.S. Department of Energy and the Nuclear Energy Institute.

The casino is owned and operated by the Oneida Indian Nation. It is 35 miles east of Syracuse.

Former Flint, Mich. Police Chief To Be Sentenced

An ex-police chief in Flint, Mich., who ran the West Point Arcade, entered a no-contest plea to illegal gambling and reckless use of a firearm last month, according to a local news report. William Barksdale will be sentenced on April 14 in Michigan’s Genesee County Circuit Court. He could face several years in prison.

Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) inspectors saw gambling taking place at Flint’s West Point Arcade in 2017, according to Michigan TV station WNEM. Casino-style games allegedly were played on computers. Winners got generic gift cards. The activities were considered to be gambling. But the arcade didn’t have a state gaming license.

During a court-approved arcade search, MGCB agents found more than 80 firearms, according to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. She said eight of these were described as sawed-off shotguns.

Barksdale, as well as Alvin and Adam Crossnoe, ran the West Point Arcade. The Crossnoes were charged with illegal gambling and pleaded guilty in October 2021.

Initially, Barksdale was charged with gambling activities-felony, using a computer to commit a crime, and possession of a short-barreled shotgun. If found guilty on each of the three original charges, Barksdale could have faced up to 25 years in prison, according to Nessel.

Earlier, Barksdale allegedly shot and killed a masked intruder who was trying to rob the gaming facility in 2009, according to Michigan TV station WJRT. He left his post as Flint’s top cop in 2004, MLive, a regional news site, reported.