Saturday, March 31, 2007

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police raided another alleged gambling house
Tuesday, this time on the city's northeast side. "I'm not robbing, killing
or stealing. I am working to feed my kids that's all I'm doing," said
suspect Rodney Wallace. But metro police say what 49-year-old Wallace was
doing is illegal. Police arrested Wallace and two others, 51-year-old
William Clinkscales and 51-year-old Clarence Michael Johnson. "Come down
here bust in on us the way they did stepping all over people and I think
that's ridiculous, it wasn't called for," said Johnson. "All that wasn't
called for. It's like they were looking for a mass murderer or something.
That's ridiculous." Police say a tip from neighbors led them to what looks
like a run down house in the 3700 block of North Keystone. But they say this
is a gambling house called "The Shack" that is wired with video surveillance
equipment. "I go there every day, every day. Shake, I'm there every time.
It's how I pay my rent when I don't go to work. It's how I pay my rent, it's
how my kids get clothes on their back," said Steve Fields. Police gathered
evidence from inside the house while some admitted patrons of the gambling
house watched from the parking lot. "There people out here that sell drugs
and get misdemeanor charges, but you get caught in there it's a felony for
what? We ain't doing. Nothing. We ain't shoot nobody and we don't hurt nob
ody nothing. It's just an honest living you know what I'm saying," Fields
said. This is the fifth gambling house IMPD officers have raided in the
past couple of months. "We are going to continue to do everything we can to
shut these things down," said IMPD Sgt. Matthew Mount. Clinkscales and
Wallace were arrested on preliminary charges of promoting professional
gambling, a D felony, unlawful gambling, a B misdemeanor and maintaining a
dive, an A misdemeanor. Johnson was arrested on preliminary charges of
promoting professional Gambling, a D felony, and illegal gambling, a B
misdemeanor. "This is a job. This is a job. I've got to work just like
you've got to work," Wallace said.