A Carter County was found guilty on Monday of charges he ran a gambling operation out of the back room of his Valley Forge business.
Orval Leroy Pollard, 85, of 161 Taylor Avenue, was found guilty at a bench trial by Judge Keith Bowers Jr. of one count of gambling promoting and one count of possession of gambling devices in General Sessions Court on Monday. Bowers sentenced Pollard to 5 months and 29 days probation on the offenses and ordered him to pay a $25 fine on each count as well as court costs.
The charges against Pollard stem from an investigation by the Carter County Sheriff’s Office that began in March after the department received a tip that a gambling operation was being run out of Orval’s Billiards and Game Room, located at 4582 Highway 19-E in the Valley Forge Community.
The Sheriff’s Office conducted an undercover operation at Orval’s Billiards and Game Room, Carter County Sheriff Dexter Lunceford said at the time of Pollard’s arrest. As a result of that undercover operation, officers obtained a search warrant which they executed on the business.
“Upon entering the business, the two officers made contact with Orval Pollard, who has since been identified as the proprietor of the business,” said CCSO Deputy Chief Investigator Mike Little in an affidavit of complaint filing charges against Pollard. “The officers, acting in an undercover capacity, were shown a back room, which was concealed by a curtain, in which two gambling machines were located.”
“While speaking with Pollard, he advised the two officers that they could pay to play the machines, and that if they won, to come get him and he would pay them out in cash,” Little added. “The officers were able to identify the games on the machines as games of chance.”
Based on what the undercover officers saw at the business, Little said he obtained the search warrant and served it that same day. While serving the search warrant, Little said he spoke with Pollard and the man admitted to officers he knew the machines were gambling machines, admitted he gave cash payouts to customers and said he knew that type of activity was illegal.
Officers seized two electronic machines from the business as well as evidence related to the gambling operation and evidence connected to a reoccurring poker game as well.
Pollard was issued a criminal summons in lieu of arrest on March 23. He made his first court appearance on April 11.
The incident in March was not Pollard’s first run in with police regarding gambling.
In 2002, Pollard was found guilty of gambling promotion in Carter County General Sessions Court. He was sentenced to 5 months and 29 days in jail. That sentenced was suspended and he was ordered to serve 5 months and 29 days on probation instead. He was also ordered to pay a $50 fine and court costs and money which had been collected from the gambling machines was awarded to the Carter County Sheriff’s Office.
Pollard was also charged with possession of gambling devices or records twice in 1993, but both of those cases were dismissed in court.