Charges dismissed against Nebraska bar owner for gambling materials

Thursday, Sept. 14, 2000 | 9:30 a.m.

Stephen Fitzgerald, 60, owner of Fitzgerald's Fourth Street Tavern, had three charges for possessing gambling materials and a charge of promoting gambling dropped by the Hall County Attorney's office.

Fitzgerald opted to pay a $2,000 fine to the commission instead of having his liquor license suspended for 40 days.

Earlier this month three other bar owners also avoided criminal charges after paying fines.

The charges followed seizure on Oct. 25, 1999, by the Nebraska State Patrol of 10 video gaming machines and nearly $4,000 during raids at six Grand Island and one Alda bar.

Deputy Hall County Attorney Bob Cashioli said charges against the three were dismissed because they paid their fines.

Cashioli said once someone has been sentenced to jail or ordered to pay a fine for an incident, that person cannot be sentenced or fined again on the same facts.

Charges against three other men in the October 1999 raid were pending in Hall County Court, but Cashioli said those charges probably will be dismissed for the same reasons.