Problem Gambler leaves Blackjack Table, Robs Bank, then Returns to Casino

Millions of people love to gamble at the casino. For the vast majority of them, it’s a great form of entertainment where you win some, you lose some. For the remainder, it can become a problem. According local authorities, one West Virginian man’s alleged addiction to blackjack tables could be the least of his problems now.

According to the Charleston Police Department and local prosecutors, 52 year old Kenny Johnson took his gambling problem to the extreme.

Earlier this month, Mr. Johnson made a visit to the Mardi Gras Casino in Nitro, WV. According to his accounts of the day, he arrived around 10:00 a.m. and did not leave until around 4:30 p.m. Unfortunately for him, evidence gathered by police doesn’t concur with that story.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reported a different version of the tale, as told by local authorities. According to them, Mr. Johnson was suffering from a dry spell at the blackjack table, and left the casino at around 3:00 p.m., placing a $25 chip on his spot to hold his seat.

This isn’t uncommon practice during a losing streak, as many gamblers will hold their spot and take a quick break, grabbing a bite to eat or getting some fresh air outside. But police allege that wasn’t the case here.

Prosecutors believe Mr. Johnson left the casino and drove to the nearby City National Bank just over a mile away. He then proceeded to rob the bank before heading back to the casino’s blackjack table, where he continued to play until 4:30.

Puzzle Pieces Fall Into Place for Police

It took police a few days to piece it all together. Surveillance video from the bank showed a man in a red T-shirt and a dark-colored hat with a gold “WV” (West Virginia University) logo on the front, enter the bank at approximately 3:30 p.m. The man handed the teller a note written on yellow legal paper, claiming he possessed a bomb and weapon, and demanding money.

The teller obediently handed over an “undisclosed amount of cash”. As he was leaving, the surveillance cameras captured him driving away in a green Mazda Miata. Just minutes later, police say Kenny Johnson reappeared at the blackjack tables.

The police published footage from the video, asking for anyone who recognized the culprit to come forward. Before long, an anonymous tip came in that Mr. Johnson had recently purchased a green Mazda Miata, and that he fit the description of the bank robber.

Following up on that tip, they arrived at his house to find a vehicle matching the getaway car in the driveway. They went inside and found a dark-colored “VW” logo hat, yellow legal pad matching that on which the note had been written, and – the real kicker – a mass of US currency stuffed under a cushion of the couch.

Last but not least, some of the marked bills that had been stolen from the bank were confiscated from the casino’s blackjack table where Mr. Johnson had been playing that day.

“What Were You Thinking?”

Despite the mounted evidence against him, Kenny Johnson told reporters with WJLA News, “I didn’t rob the bank.” He was also shown a picture of the bank robber, to which he asserted, “It wasn’t me.”

The alleged robber was arraigned in Kanawha County Court on Wednesday, where Magistrate Ward Harshbarger couldn’t help but chuckle as he asked Mr. Johnson, “What were you thinking?”

He is currently being held on $50,000 bond and, if convicted, could spend the next 20 years behind prison bars