Former Mayor Pleads No Contest 

Peter Werrlein, Jr., the former Mayor of Bell City, pled no contest to running an illegal gambling operation out of his Running Springs home. The 74 year old had slot machines, gambling tables – including blackjack, roulette and craps – as well as a cashier’s cage. When police responded to a burglar alarm at the house last January, they found the various gambling paraphernalia and thought they had inadvertently stumbled upon a gambling ring in their town. 

Werrlein must destroy the seven slot machines, serve two years of probation, and pay a fine of $1,166. He pled no contest as he felt that going to trial just didn’t make sense. Werrlein claims that the slot machines and tables were just for his friends and that no one won or lost a dime, in fact, they played with his money. They were simply for entertainment. This is not the first time Werrlein has been in trouble for alleged illegal gambling – in 1985 he pled guilty to felony charges for an illegal gambling scheme. 

Officials still feel that there is more to this story than meets the eye, but had to file a single misdemeanor charge as there wasn’t any evidence to back up a larger claim. They acknowledge that the tables were legal, but the slot machines were not. The slot machines were only about 10 years old, and you can only own them if they are 25 years old or more – as long as they are not used for gambling. The sheriff’s office is sure that they were being used for gambling, but they just didn’t have the evidence to support it. 

slot machine, slot machine, slot machine, slot machine

Back to September Archive or Slot Machines