Comal County Wants To Seize Gambling Property For Misdemeanors

Many of the illegal gambling operations that are taking place in Texas end up in misdemeanor charges. Since the offenses are not serious in nature, they are not considered felony offenses.

Even with that in mind, Comal County, Texas authorities are seeking to make life harder on people who commit these misdemeanor crimes. The county is lobbying the state to allow the seizure of the actual property where the crimes are taking place.

Currently, officers can only seize the items that are used in the gambling operations. They have no jurisdiction to seize the actual location. Authorities have sited the high cost of storage spaces as their reasons for wanting to seize the property.

"It would act as a greater deterrent for criminals, and with the seizure of this property we would get an instant storage spot for the machines themselves," said Precinct 3 Commissioner Greg Parker.

There has been heavy opposition to this proposed change. Angry citizens have voiced their disgust with the idea. "The police in this county (Comal) should be worried about more important things than gambling. There are people out there selling drugs to our kids and these people are concerned with misdemeanor gambling criminals," said Fran Triskle, a resident of the county.

Still, despite the opposition, the county commissioners continue to push forward with their efforts. They will be attempting to get the legislature to change this law in the upcoming session.

January 4, 2009
Posted By Larry Rutherford
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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