A 19-year-old college student was arrested late last month after allegedly stealing money from a gaming table at Best Bet Casino in St. Augustine, according to a St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office arrest report.
Deputies responded to the casino at 800 Marketplace Drive around 2 a.m., where witnesses reported that the suspect had grabbed a stack of house money from a card table and fled on foot through the parking lot.
The cash was reportedly being held in place by a four-pound steel weight in front of the dealer when the heist took place.
According to the report, the student had lost all of his own money during the card game and then reached across the table to take the casino’s funds before running from the building.
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Security guards pursued the suspect and detained him until law enforcement arrived.
Deputies interviewed multiple witnesses at the scene and reviewed surveillance video, which reportedly confirmed the sequence of events.
The suspect was positively identified using his Florida driver’s license and taken into custody.
He was charged with grand theft of property valued between $750 and $5,000, a third-degree felony under Florida law. probable cause for the arrest.
The student was booked into the St. Johns County Jail at approximately 3:44 a.m. on Sept. 21.
The case is pending.
