Casino guard faces criminal charges in beating of patron

Currently facing charges is a security guard who was involved in a beating at the Shooting Star Casino in Mahnomen, Minnesota. Eugene Davis of Ogema is accused of fifth-degree assault, a misdemeanor. That charge might be upgraded to a felony level, according to the prosecutor.

If yet another surveillance camera captures Davis punching the person, the charge can be upgraded to criminal assault. Sean Wade, the victim of the violence, had already been charged for his actions regarding the event.

For threatening an ER nurse, Wade was charged with felony terroristic threats, felony assault in the fourth degree on a peace officer, and two misdemeanor charges of assault.

Wade was allegedly drunk at the time of the incident and was violent toward the guard. In return, Wade reported Davis head-butting him at least three times in the head and facial region.

Wade was also charged for his involvement in the event, including two misdemeanor counts of assault for kicking a security guard and reportedly assaulting another male at the casino, as well as felony terroristic threats against an ER nurse and felony fourth-degree assault of a peace officer.

A White Earth Tribal Police Department sergeant responded to a report of a disorderly male acting aggressively toward casino security on May 31, 2023, which is when the incident took place. When the sergeant arrived, Wade was yelling, shackled and lying on the ground. He appeared to be drunk.

Wade assaulted a man on the casino floor, according to casino security, and acted violently when asked to leave the premises, which was reported to the tribal police sergeant. Wade struck Davis after they split off from a confrontation with another man; Wade was then seen on security video grappling with Davis and striking Wade repeatedly. After watching the video, the sergeant accused Davis of misdemeanor assault.

The Shooting Star Casino is a small tribal enterprise. According to Current Blackjack News, it offers six tables of blackjack with mediocre deck penetration, bad rules, and low stakes. The maximum bet allowed is only $100. Thus, it is unlikely to see many visits from card counters or other types of blackjack advantage players.

Advantage players, of course, often face criminal behavior from casino guards, who usually act with impunity because of the refusal of most local police and prosecutorial authorities to punish the bad actions of casino employees within large employers in the community. It is remarkable that the tribal police sergeant was willing to initiate this case against the tribal casino guard. It will be watched closely to see if it is pursued, if appropriate, to a just legal conclusion or will be whitewashed by local officials.

In large casino centers such as Las Vegas and Reno, cases of guard misbehavior towards patrons are legion. Though a tiny fraction of such cases are documented in the public news sources, the level of misbehavior shines through the usual attempts of quiet settlements with the victims and the subsequent coverups of the criminal behavior of the guards.

In one particularly egregious case, a casino guard in Reno killed a patron on the casino floor, and received a startlingly light sentence of six months in jail as a result.

Long-time advantage player LV Bear, in his seminal column LV Bear’s Guide to Minimizing Risk of Personal Injury During Casino Backoffs and Barrings, wrote, “Consider a confrontation with a casino employee, particularly a security guard, to be the same as a confrontation with an unpredictable wild animal. Do not expect that they will obey laws or act reasonably or rationally.”

Will the Minnesota authorities have the intestinal fortitude to proceed against this casino guard, who of course at this time enjoys the presumption of innocence? Time will tell.

Source:

“Security Guard involved in Shooting Star Casino assault charged” , Zoe Jones, valleynewslive.com, June 8, 2023.