Iowa’s Grand Falls Casino Visitors Charged After One Flees Into Corn Field

Posted on: August 5, 2022, 09:23h. 

Last updated on: August 8, 2022, 12:36h.

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

A man who fled after he presented a fake ID at Iowa’s Grand Falls Casino on Monday was apprehended, police said. An accomplice was also charged.

Grand Falls Casino interior
Grand Falls Casino interior, pictured above. This week, two men were apprehended after one of them fled from the casino when asked for an ID. (Image: SiouxFalls.Business)

Ricardo Aurelio Herrerh, 21, and Rigoberto Lopez, 25, were arrested at the Larchwood, Iowa, gaming property after Monday’s incident. The two tried to get into the casino and were stopped by authorities.

Lopez allegedly ran from authorities and attempted to hide in a cornfield. The Sheldon Police Department used a specially trained dog to search for the suspect but could not locate him.

But on Tuesday, Lopez was spotted by Lyon County deputies near Gitchie Manitou State Preserve. He was apprehended and later charged. Both men were placed in the Lyon County Jail in Rock Rapids. As of Friday, they were no longer in custody, according to online jail records.

Herrerh was charged with interference with official acts, possession of drug paraphernalia, and unlawful use of a license, police said. Lopez was charged with possession of a false license or ID card, possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and interference with official acts, police added.

Elite Casino Resorts own Grand Falls Casino. The gaming property is approximately 12 miles east of Sioux Falls, Iowa.

Prior Casino Incident

In April, a 28-year-old Iowa woman faced two narcotics charges after a plastic bag containing suspected methamphetamine (meth) fell from her clothes. Initially, she was arrested at Grand Falls Casino’s parking lot.

A Lyon County Sheriff’s Office deputy was investigating a suspicious parked vehicle at the casino lot. The driver, identified as Christine Larson of Sanborn, was found nearby. She was apprehended, and the deputy confirmed she had outstanding warrants for her arrest.

When initially arresting Larson, the deputy asked her if she had any illegal drugs or other controlled substances. She said no.

The deputy then transported Larson to a nearby jail. While she was being arrested, a plastic bag fell onto the floor. The bag’s contents later tested positive for meth, reported KIWA, an Iowa radio station.

After the bag of suspected meth dropped from her clothes, she was arrested on more serious charges. Those were possession of contraband in a correctional institution and possession of a controlled substance, KICD, another Iowa station, said.

Casino Winner Robbed

Last month two bandits forced an Iowa casino winner off the road in Des Moines and stole over $10,000 from her, police said. Police arrested one alleged robber and continue to search for another.

One of the suspects allegedly broke her driver’s side window, opened the driver’s door, and then yanked her purse out of the car. The money she had just won while playing at Prairie Meadows Casino in Altoona was in her pocketbook.

Timothy Spencer, 30, of Delaware Township, Iowa, was arrested. He had a handgun during the holdup, police claim. He was the one who shattered the window and stole the purse, police said.

Spencer was booked in the Polk County Jail. He is charged with first-degree robbery, first-degree theft, going armed with intent, conspiracy to commit a forcible felony, failure to affix a drug stamp, and possession of a controlled substance, according to online jail records.