Casino Crime Roundup: Rivers Casino Evacuated After Bomb Threat

Posted on: February 13, 2024, 02:08h. 

Last updated on: February 15, 2024, 12:41h.

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

A 19-year-old woman was apprehended Tuesday morning after she allegedly phoned in a bomb threat to a New York State gaming property.

Rivers Casino & Resort Schenectady
Rivers Casino & Resort Schenectady, pictured above. A bomb threat was phoned in to the property, which turned out to be a hoax. (Image: Rivers Casino)

Both Rivers Casino & Resort Schenectady and the Landing Hotel were evacuated at about 2:08 a.m. while authorities searched for explosive devices. None were found after specially trained bomb-sniffing dogs searched the properties.

Two hours later, guests were allowed back on the gaming floor and in the hotel.

Later on Tuesday, Shenel M. Rexha of Amsterdam, New York, was arrested for the hoax, according to Albany, New York TV station WNYT. She was charged with second-degree falsely reporting an incident, according to the Albany Times-Union news outlet. It’s unclear why she made the bomb threat.

Last week, New York’s Saratoga Casino Hotel also was evacuated for several hours after a bomb threat was phoned in to that property.

Local police equipped with bomb-sniffing dogs searched the buildings and grounds located in Saratoga Springs, New York. But no bombs or explosives were located. The casino resumed normal operations the next day.

There’s no word if the earlier bomb threat was related to Tuesday’s incident.

Four Children in Van at Casino

Parents left their four children alone in a van at a Kentucky gaming property Monday night while the adults went inside the unnamed casino.

Simon Lopez, 51, and Maria Lopez, 33, both of Statesville, North Carolina, were arrested on four counts of first-degree wanton endangerment at a casino in Oak Grove, Kentucky, according to Kentucky radio station WKDZ.

The kids were alone for more than two hours and the heat was turned off in the vehicle. By the time local police arrived, the outside temperature was 39 degrees and rain was falling.

The engine was off when officers found the children. The kids were attempting to stay warm by covering themselves with blankets.

Eleven Charged in Gambling Raid

Eleven suspects were arrested this month after Georgia authorities raided a residence in a search for illegal gaming.

Officers discovered that a card game was taking place in the basement of the home on February 2, according to FOX 5 Atlanta.

The suspects ranged in age between 28 and 74 and were arrested by Coweta County officials. The homeowner, Anthony Johnson, 44, was charged with commercial gambling and keeping a gambling place. The 10 other men were charged with gambling. Their names weren’t released.

One of the men was also charged with drug possession.

More charges are possible. Authorities were continuing their investigation as of Tuesday.