ANONYMOUS TIP LEADS TO CITATIONS FOR DRUGS, ALCOHOL & GAMBLING AT A cary warehouse

CARY , NC – Acting on a Crime Stoppers tip, the Town of Cary Police Department served a search warrant at 233 “M” East Johnson St. on Friday, March 23 shortly after midnight and cited more than 40 people with various charges related to drugs, alcohol and gambling.  No one was hurt during the raid.

Upon entering the unit, Police found that the lessee of the warehouse space – Matthew McCoy, 25, of 2013 Bulon Dr. , Cary – was running an illegal Poker gaming operation.  McCoy was charged with one count of Gambling, one count of Possession For Sale of any Alcoholic Beverage without Permits and one count of Unauthorized Possession of Liquor.  Also, William Tillman, 45, of 5724-D Valley Ct. , Raleigh , was charged with one count each of Possession Drug Paraphernalia, Possession of Marijuana, and Gambling.  Thirty-nine others were charged with Gambling.

“We were prepared for anything, given that the tip we received suggested that we might encounter weapons, drugs, and large amounts of cash,” said Captain Dave Wulff.  “Thanks to the assistance of our partnering agencies – Alcohol Law Enforcement, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Wake County District Attorney’s Office and the National Guard RAID unit – we were able to halt the illegal activity without incident.”  Wulff added that heroin was confiscated but could not be linked to any of the arrestees.

The following people were each charged with one count of Gambling:

1. Bob Elliott, 56, of 620 W. Jones St. , Raleigh

2. Ivan Hsu, 26, of 12425 Carabey St. , Cerritos , CA

3. Marco Lugo, 24, of 1521 Wedgeland Dr. , Raleigh

4. Lawrence Wiggins, 31, of 7012 B  Longstreet Dr. , Raleigh

5. David Algood, 21, of 11830 Dan Maples Dr. , Charlotte

6. Tammy Watson, 42, of 6820 Greenmeadow Dr. , Raleigh

7. Dameion Rutherford, 33, of 4914 Highgate Dr. , Durham

8. David Bradshaw, 38, of 3810 Grey Harbor Dr. , Raleigh

9. Cecil Massengill, 61, of 607Church St. , Benson , NC

10. Rodney Strickland, 37, 4605 Aviary Circle , Apex

11. Benjamin Dawson, 39, of 107 Hilton Ave., Apt. 2 , Durham

12. Peter Lenk, 26, of Manor Village Way #50, Raleigh

13. Francisco Rivera, 43, of 110 Streamview Dr. , Cary

14. Ian Dressel, 24, of 102 Pennsbury Court , Cary

15. John Schachte, 47, of 101 Torrey Pines Dr. , Cary

16. Dena Wright, 28, of 4621 Landover Dale Dr. , Raleigh

17. Evangelos Liatos, 61, of 5005 Lady of the Lakes, Raleigh

18. Jason Reed, 33, of 712 B Greenfield Dr. , Garner

19. Heather Honeycutt, 29, of 5326 Crescentview Pkwy. , Raleigh

20. Joseph Turecky, 37, of 242 Caudia Lane , Cary

21. Thongsavanh Vongprachanh, 33, of 1424 Summit Park Blvd. , Apex

22. Johnny Lyons, 32, of 312 Burgess Circle , Broadway

23. Karim Olweean, 25, of 5533 Vista View Court , Raleigh

24. Brett Marshall, 35, of 2633 Cottage Circle , Raleigh

25. Matthew Jennings, 28, 1083 Mclemor Dr. , Clayton

26. Lorimer Covington, 70, of 139 W. Main St. , Garner

27. Brian Vick, 25, of 5608 Big Sandy Dr. , Raleigh

28. Nishant Patel, 29, of 309 Adelaide Road, Holly Springs

29. Diane Smith, 51, of 3808 Kingfield Dr. , Apex

30. George Smart, Jr., 45, of 5702 Williamsbury Lane , Durham

31. William Rich, Jr., 30, of 2827 Sterling Park Dr. , Raleigh

32. Raymond Gunter, Jr., 28, of 800 Grimm St. , Sanford

33. Harold McClain, 41, of 100 Calibre Clase Dr. , Raleigh

34. Benjamin Phillips, 24, of 109 Bebington Dr. , Cary

35. John O’Connor, 21, of 3504 Song Sparrow Dr. , Wake Forest

36. Oliver Prince, 27, of 309 Edgewater Dr. , Broadway

37. Paul Smith, 51, of 3808 Kingfield Dr. , Apex

38. Gregory Gunter, 27, of 6705 Bradley Rd. , Sanford

39. Edward Brown, 41, of 308 Glen Bonnie Lane , Cary

According to N.C. General Statute 14-292, any person or organization that operates any game of chance or any person who plays at or bets on any game of chance at which any money, property or other thing of value is bet, whether the same be in stake or not, shall be guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor.  

“While we realize and appreciate that many friends and neighbors enjoy playing cards and other games in good fun as part of their recreational activities, doing so for money simply isn’t legal in our state,” Wulff added.

Alcohol Violation, Possession Drug Paraphernalia, and Possession of Marijuana are also Class 2 misdemeanors.  A Class 2 misdemeanor carries a maximum of 1-60 days in jail, a fine and court costs.

Crime Stoppers will pay up to $2,500 for the arrest or indictment of those responsible for committing certain types of crimes.  If you have information, contact Crime Stoppers at 226-CRIM(E) or contact Capt. Dave Wulff at (919) 469-4017; you may also visit www.carycrimestoppers.net.  All calls will be kept CONFIDENTIAL at caller's request. 

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