Continuing the theme of robbers stealing money and then spending it on slot machines, it was recently reported that John Ethridge, a resident of Trenton, Maine, was charged with stealing $23,000 in cash from On the Run, a convenience store in Somesville. When questioned by Mount Desert Police regarding the money, Ethridge, a former manager at the store, confessed that he lost it playing in Bangor's Hollywood Slots.
Bill Welch, executive director of the Maine Gambling Control Board, was reported as saying that if Ethridge's words are true, he should not be treated as a compulsive gambler, but rather as a thief. According to Welch, Ethridge did not steal the money because he is addicted to slots, but, rather, he stole the money and then decided to spend it on slot machines. Surveillance cameras installed at Hollywood Slots showed that the robber visited the venue both on November 25th and December 10th.
Ethridge, 40, will be brought in front of the Hancock County Superior Court on January 25th. Thus far, the slots-gambling robber had no criminal history with the Mount Desert department. Hollywood Slots officials are doubtful that his story is completely true, and argue that a $23,000 level of activity would have been noticed by casino employees. Ethridge may face 10 years in prison, since a theft of over $10,000 is considered a Class B crime.
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