- January 19, 2025
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Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly recently a message to illegal gambling operators.
The FCSO seized, on May 10, 2019, five electronic gambling machines from Dakota Joe’s Senior Entertainment during a search warrant obtained after an investigation prompted when Sheriff Rick Staly was on one of his regular Friday night patrols and noticed suspicious activity resembling illegal electronic gambling occurring inside the business.
Dakota Joes was already on the sheriff’s radar due to an armed robbery that had occurred in October 2018 inside the business.
On July 14, 2019, Dakota Joe’s owner, Angelo Petta Jr., was charged with Keeping a Gambling House and Possession of Slot Machines. Petta later plead guilty and was placed on probation. The five seized machines were found to have no function other than illegal gambling so the State Attorney’s Office sought a court order to have them destroyed.
Exactly one year later, on July 14, 2020, Sheriff Rick Staly ensured the machines were destroyed with a little help from the Flagler County Building Department.
“Internet cafés are illegal in Florida and often become targets for crimes, just like the armed robbery that took place at Dakota Joe’s in October 2018,” Sheriff Staly said. “Angelo Petta plead to the charges, the State Attorney’s Office sought to have these machines destroyed and I was happy to assist them in crushing gambling here in Flagler County. Let this be a message to anyone who is thinking about running an illegal gambling operation in Flagler County: Do not waste your time. You will go to jail and your machines will wind up in the exact same condition as Dakota Joe’s or worse.”
FCSO Public Affairs Office videotaped the destruction of the five machines and you can view the video by clicking the link: https://youtu.be/CQhXt8LFgDU
