The 80 poker players arrested amidst a November 2nd raid on a South Baltimore club are being cleared of charges, according to an announcement made yesterday by city prosecutors. Charges are being dropped due to an error made by police, who misapplied the law when issuing tickets during the raid.

Instead of citing the clause proscribing citizens from betting, wagering or gambling as a basis for making the arrests, police used a clause that disallows a person to "keep, rent, use or occupy" a building for gambling activities. Naturally, as the latter clause does not apply to ordinary players, the actual charges were rendered invalid. While, potentially, the players could still face separate charges, city prosecutors have been quoted as saying that that they will not likely expend court resources on recharging these players.

Source:  Poker777 Staff

Friday, 11 November 2005