Henderson County officials shut down six game rooms, arrest six

Sheriff’s Office press release

Sheriff Botie Hillhouse and Henderson County Fire Marshal Shane Renberg led a team of Henderson County Deputies and Deputy Fire Marshals on inspections of game rooms across Henderson County Thursday, shuttering six facilities and arresting six people.

“In these cases, they were not up to standards so they were shut down,” Hillhouse said. “And the people inside committing offenses were put in jail.”

Each facility had safety violations such as improper electrical wiring.

A slew of charges ranging from possession of suspected methamphetamines to warrants for making terroristic threats, a parole violation, and for having weapons landed the six in the Henderson County Jail.

“These folks doing these things hang out at these game rooms,” Hillhouse said. “Every chance we have to legitimately crack down on the facilities, we do.”

“Fire Marshal Renberg and his deputies Sheri Powers, and Jarrod Mills did outstanding work bringing this to our attention and I am proud of the interagency cooperation exhibited in this case,” he said.

The Sheriff said: “Without Fire Marshal Renberg and his team, we would not have been able to close the businesses and find the criminals inside. Credit for this great investigative work goes to the Marshal and his dedicated team.”

Hillhouse assembled Major Bryan Tower, Lead Narcotic Investigator Kay Langford, Investigators Robert Powers, Brad Beddingfield and Josh Rickman from his office to assist with the inspections of the game rooms located across the county.

The game rooms closed, those arrested, and charges filed are:

The Game Room at Richardson Road, David Adam Alexander, Jr., 32, warrant for terroristic threat on a family member;

Game Room on Park Harbor Road, Carrie A. Johnson, 53, warrant for failing to identify herself by giving false or fictitious information;

Lucky Lucky Game Room on Hwy 198, Matthew Poe, 31, violation of pardon and parole warrant and having a prohibited weapon on his person;

Also arrested at Lucky Lucky was Joshua Ochoa, 27 for possession of suspected methamphetamines and outstanding arrest warrants;

Double Down on County Road 2803, Tina Maddox, possession of suspected methamphetamines, and Amye Brown, arrested for outstanding warrants.

“My deputies did an outstanding job keeping everyone safe during these investigations and putting these folks in jail where they belong,” Hillhouse. “In the past we have responded to assaults and made narcotics arrests at these businesses that feature eight-liner machines. And when we can we do intervene and shut them down.”