Nevada Casino Staff Allegedly Threatened By Drunken Man, Breaks Slot Machine Light

Posted on: November 5, 2021, 11:22h. 

Last updated on: November 5, 2021, 12:47h.

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

A 60-year-old intoxicated man wound up in jail Thursday after he allegedly broke a light fixture on a slot machine and threatened staff at a Carson City, Nev. gaming property. He later explained to deputies he was angry employees there would not help him search for his car parked outside.

Carson City Sheriff's deputies later took him to a local hospital before booking him
A Carson City, Nev. Sheriff’s department SUV, pictured above. Sheriff’s deputies arrested an intoxicated man who allegedly threatened staff at a casino and also broke a light fixture. (Image: Flickr)

The Zephyr Cove, Nev. resident was charged with the destruction of property. Neither the suspect nor the name of the casino was identified in a report from CarsonNow.org, a local news site.

Carson City Sheriff’s deputies later took him to a local hospital before booking him in a nearby jail. Bail was set at $2,000.

Speech Slurred, Watery Eyes

Deputies said the man had red, watery eyes. His speech was slurred. There was also a strong odor of alcohol. A blood alcohol concentration test allegedly measured .321, the report said. That is believed to exceed the level for being intoxicated.

Earlier, he had asked casino employees where the car was located. Employees gave him the location, but would not go outside to help him look for it.

That led him to tell one worker he “would kick their ass,” CarsonNow.org reported. The man also allegedly struck the corner of a slot machine with his fist. He then grabbed a light fixture for the machine, broke it off, and tossed it away, authorities said.

The cost to repair it was estimated to be between $250 and $300. The suspect later confirmed he broke the light fixture and explained his anger, the report adds.

After the threat, employees at the gaming property contacted the local sheriff’s office. Deputies said they saw surveillance video which showed the man breaking the slot machine light fixture.

Earlier Drunken Incidents at Casinos

In a prior incident, an intoxicated man allegedly left a baby alone in a car parked at Bighorn Casino in North Las Vegas. The incident happened on a hot’s summer evening during July on the gaming property.

Mitchell Anthony Hooks, 39, of Las Vegas later was arrested by North Las Vegas police officers. Hooks was charged with child abuse and leaving a child unattended in a motor vehicle, KLAS, a local TV station, reported.

It is unclear what happened to the charges when he appeared in court. The baby was taken to a local hospital for a medical exam.

In September a 49-year-old Fitchburg, Mass. man was arrested for indecent exposure and public drunkenness. That’s after a Pennsylvania state trooper spotted him defecating in a flowerbed outside of Hollywood Casino York.

The unnamed man was seen squatting outside of the Springettsbury Township, Pa. gaming property. He was half-naked and heavily intoxicated, the York Dispatch, a Pennsylvania newspaper reported.

Police claim the man was unclothed below the waist, exposing his buttocks and genitals.