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Cops fold ' em, hold ' em

Working on a tip, police busted an illegal gambling operation, arresting four people on felony charges.

By JONATHAN ABEL, Times Staff Writer
Published January 17, 2008

ADVERTISEMENT Chastity Ann Baur, 30, of Tampa, was charged with being an employee of a gambling house. Robert Nicola Gill, 26, of Tampa, was charged with being an employee of a gambling house. Melinda J. Stanovcak, 30, of Apollo Beach, was charged with possession of cocaine and Xanax. Sascha N. Kauper, 33, of Palm Harbor was arrested on two counts of keeping a gambling house.

CLEARWATER - The Mercedes, Jaguars and Lexuses stood out at the modest strip mall on Drew Street.

For a year, they filled the parking lot from dusk until dawn. But they didn't bring customers to the Mexican or Greek groceries, nor to the nail salon, bridal shop, tailor or Mexican restaurant.

Instead, night after night people disappeared into a mirrored storefront in the corner of the plaza. When other store owners asked about the place, the proprietor told them it was a social club.

But neighboring merchants were suspicious. One said customers complained of screams - some angry - coming from the club.

"One customer told me he was afraid of what he heard," said Jose Lopez, owner of Jose's Mexican Restaurant. "Regular customers never came back."

Early Wednesday morning, officers from the Clearwater Police Department raided the storefront at 2095 Drew Street, Suite A, breaking up what they claim was an illegal high-stakes poker operation.

Inside, some 20 people were gambling with $20,000 to $30,000 in cash. Two poker tables, dozens of decks of cards, and thousands of poker chips were seized, according to police.

A dozen people were given notices to appear in court on misdemeanor gambling charges. Four others were arrested on felony charges - three employees and a woman accused of drug possession.

Sascha N. Kauper, 33, of Palm Harbor was arrested on two counts of keeping a gambling house. According to arrest affidavits, Kauper took in large amounts of money in exchange for colored chips. He then organized games of Texas Hold 'Em, police said.

Kauper, who was released from the Pinellas County Jail after posting $10,000 bail, did not return a call seeking comment.

Robert Nicola Gill, 26, and Chastity Ann Baur, 30, both of Tampa, were charged with being employees of a gambling house. Police said employees would call people to invite them to gamble and then serve as dealers.

Melinda J. Stanovcak, 30, of Apollo Beach, the lone person taken to jail on a gambling charge, was also charged with possession ofcocaine and Xanax.

Reached by phone, Stanovcak said this was her first time at the club. She had no idea there was gambling, she said. She just came for a drink with friends.

"There were people playing cards when I got there," Stanovcak said. "I never saw any kind of money."

Police said they received a tip about illegal gambling and sent undercover detectives into the establishment. The search warrant was served about 12:30 a.m.

Lopez said he never called the police because he didn't know for sure what was going on. But in the last week someone who knew the plaza well told him the corner storefront was trouble.

"He told me it was a hot place," Lopez recalls. "Caliente - not a good thing."

Jonathan Abel can be reached at jabel@sptimes.com or (727) 445-4157.

[Last modified January 17, 2008, 00:07:22]