Marathon slot player accused of stealing another player’s tokens

Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2000 | 8:57 a.m.

State police on Monday arrested Chuck Chenowith and booked him with felony theft. Investigators say the tokens were stolen while another player was away from a machine.

Chenowith's wife, Bernadette, who was with him during the marathon session, also was booked with one count of felony theft. They were to be released without bond.

In a telephone message left Tuesday with The Times-Picayune of New Orleans, Chenowith said he was innocent and called the charge "trumped up" and "the furthest from the truth."

Casino spokeswoman Lynn Lofton said the casino regretted the incident. "It's just one of those things," she said.

Chenowith said he began playing a machine known as Sizzling Sevens on Jan. 18 and played with little rest until Monday. He sometimes took a nap on his stool. During sandwich and restroom breaks, his wife held his spot at the machine.

During longer breaks, the casino would shut off the machine until his return, he said.

Chenowith said he pumped more than $15,000 into the machine in an effort to win a jackpot of about $2,600. He said he believed the machine was broken and was trying to prove the device would never pay the big jackpot.

State police said they checked the machine and it was working properly.

On Monday, state police allege Chenowith took tokens from the tray of a slot machine that another gambler had left unattended. The incident was recorded by surveillance cameras, state police said.

In his phone message, Chenowith said: "It was just an angle to get me out of there. This is the most horrible day of my life."