LAUREL COUNTY, Ky. — The men who set up a casino-type gambling operation just north of London were charged just two days after the facility was raided by police.

Laurel County Sheriff’s Detective Brad Mitchell charged 29-year-old Christopher Asher of Old Whitley Road and 44-year-old David W. Barnes of Roy Dugger Road, both of London, for first-degree promoting gambling on Thursday afternoon.

Asher is accused of supplying the machines to the facility, while Barnes is believed to be the mastermind of the operation by managing, hiring employees and renting the building that was used strictly for gambling purposes.

An anonymous tip led sheriff’s officials to the site on U.S. 25, one mile north of London, on Tuesday. There, detectives discovered a unit in a strip mall that hosted an office with windows covered with blinds. Behind a door leading to a back room were 19 gambling machines with stools for each machine, an ATM machine, and even a sign advertising the current jackpot. Surveillance cameras were located throughout the facility, including one which was capable of allowing admittance from the front office to the back room where the gambling operation was in full swing.

Williamsburg resident Raymond C. Wright and Shannon Jones of Rockhold were on duty when police arrived at the business on Tuesday afternoon. They were both charged with first-degree promoting gambling. Jones faces additional charges after police discovered a cut straw with white residue and a baggie containing white residue inside it. The white powdery substance tested positive for methamphetamine. Jones was charged with first-degree possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia.

Two other persons were arrested on Tuesday after they became upset when they were denied admittance to the gambling facility. A press release from the sheriff’s office stated Jerry Collier and Jerry Collier Jr. arrived while the investigation was underway and became irate when they were told the business was closed due to the investigation. The elder Collier was charged with resisting arrest while Jerry Collier Jr. was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

More $10,000 was seized from the machines and the facility during the raid.



njohnson@sentinel-echo.com