UPDATED for print edition — It was back to business as usual Saturday morning — minus a truckload of pay-for-play video games — at a half dozen convenience stores in Peachtree City and Tyrone following a gambling raid Friday night.
Police officers from several Fayette County law enforcement agencies and agents from the Ga. Dept. of Revenue (DOR) began Operation Game Over in the late afternoon hours May 20, conducting raids on six convenience stores in Peachtree City and Tyrone after a two-month undercover operation determined that illegal gambling using gaming machines was taking place in those businesses.
Peachtree City Police spokesperson Rosanna Dove said officers closed and taped-off the businesses in Peachtree City that include the Pit Stop at Petrol Point and Ga. Highway 54, Wisdom Shell on Ga. Highway 74, the Braelinn Village Store at South Peachtree Parkway and Robinson Road, the Glenloch Village store at Hwy. 54 and Robinson Road and the BP store on Hwy. 54 just east of Hwy. 74. Officers also closed the Tyrone Village BP store at Tyrone Road and Hwy. 74, Dove added.
Dove said Operation Game Over took shape after the department began receiving complaints in February about several area businesses with illegal gaming machines. Undercover agents surveyed 14 businesses, seven of which were subsequently determined to have some form of illegal gaming activity occurring.
Dove said a total of 30 warrants were issued in Operation Game Over. The names of those arrested that have been released thus far include:
• At Pit Stop – Darshak Patel, 42, of Newnan, for commercial gambling and keeping a gambling place; Pankaj Patel, 40, of Newnan, for commercial gambling and keeping a gambling place; Kailash Patel, 42, of Newnan, for commercial gambling and keeping a gambling place.
Addressing the raid at the Petrol Point Pit Stop, Mike Hyde of the Hyde Group that owns Pit Stop locations on Peachtree City’s south side and in Fairburn said Monday that the Petrol Point location was leased to another company in September and is not operated by his company even though the Pit Stop sign is still in place. The Hyde Group does not and never has installed games in its stores, Hyde said.
• At Wisdom Shell – Stella Sheffield, 42, of Newnan, for commercial gambling and keeping a gambling place; Tracy Hamer, 43, of Peachtree City, for commercial gambling and keeping a gambling place.
• At Braelinn Village Store – Sheralli Panjwani, 49, of Fayetteville, for commercial gambling.
• At Glenloch Village Store – Giovanna Vargas, 42, of Peachtree City, for commercial gambling and keeping a gambling place; Jalal Dayani, 49, Fayetteville, for commercial gambling and keeping a gambling place; Sena Bogale Koji, 22, of Jonesboro, for commercial gambling, keeping a gambling place and giving false identity information to officers.
• At the BP at 2597 Hwy. 54 – Marcel Waters, 24, of Habersham Drive, Jonesboro, for commercial gambling and keeping a gambling place; Jordan Honeycutt, 19, of Peachtree City, for commercial gambling and keeping a gambling place.
Dove said DOR agents were expected to remove 30-40 machines from the various locations.
Agencies participating in Operation Game Over include Peachtree City Police, Tyrone Police, Fayetteville Police, Ga. Dept. of Revenue and the Griffin Judicial Circuit District Attorney.
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Earlier online-only version
Police officers from several Fayette County law enforcement agencies and agents from the Ga. Dept. of Revenue (DOR) began Operation Game Over in the late afternoon hours May 20, conducting raids on half a dozen convenience stores in Peachtree City and Tyrone after a two-month undercover operation determined that illegal gambling using gaming machines was taking place in those businesses.
Peachtree City Police spokesperson Rosanna Dove said officers closed and taped-off the businesses in Peachtree City that include the Pit Stop at Petrol Point and Ga. Highway 54, Wisdom Shell on Ga. Highway 74, the Braelinn Village Store at South Peachtree Parkway and Robinson Road, the Glenloch Village store at Hwy. 54 and Robinson Road and the BP store on Hwy. 54 just east of Hwy. 74. Officers also closed the Tyrone Village BP store at Tyrone Road and Hwy. 74, Dove added.
Dove said Operation Game Over took shape after the department began receiving complaints in February about several area businesses with illegal gaming machines. Undercover agents surveyed 14 businesses, seven of which were subsequently determined to have some form of illegal gaming activity occurring.
Dove said a total of 30 warrants were issued in Operation Game Over. The names of those arrested that have been released thus far include:
-At Pit Stop – Darshak Patel, 42, of Newnan, for commercial gambling and keeping a gambling place; Pankaj Patel, 40, of Newnan, for commercial gambling and keeping a gambling place; Kailash Patel, 42, of Newnan, for commercial gambling and keeping a gambling place.
-At Wisdom Shell – Stella Sheffield, 42, of Newnan, for commercial gambling and keeping a gambling place; Tracy Hamer, 43, of Peachtree City, for commercial gambling and keeping a gambling place.
-At Braelinn Village Store – Sheralli Panjwani, 49, of Fayetteville, for commercial gambling.
-At Glenloch Village Store – Giovanna Vargas, 42, of Peachtree City, for commercial gambling and keeping a gambling place; Jalal Dayani, 49, Fayetteville, for commercial gambling and keeping a gambling place; Sena Bogale Koji, 22, of Jonesboro, for commercial gambling, keeping a gambling place and giving false identity information to officers.
-At the BP at 2597 Hwy. 54 – Marcel Waters, 24, of Habersham Drive, Jonesboro, for commercial gambling and keeping a gambling place; Jordan Honeycutt, 19, of Peachtree City, for commercial gambling and keeping a gambling place.
Dove said DOR agents are expected to remove 30-40 machines from the various locations.
Agencies participating in Operation Game Over include Peachtree City Police, Tyrone Police, Fayetteville Police, Ga. Dept. of Revenue and the Griffin Judicial Circuit District Attorney.
