The owner of a Mill Creek bar appears ready to take on the Washington State Gambling Commission and the Snohomish County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
Stephen Anton Dorn, owner of the Jet Bar &Grill, turned down a prosecutor’s offer to let him plead guilty to a gross misdemeanor, pay a fine and stay under court supervision for two years for allegedly conducting a poker game at his business without a license.
Instead, he now faces a felony gambling charge that could land him in jail.
A felony conviction also could result in Dorn losing his liquor license, Brian Smith, a spokesman for the Washington Liquor Control Board said Wednesday.
On Wednesday, deputy Snohomish County prosecutor Chris Dickinson charged Dorn with felony conducting a gambling activity without a license. A conviction carries up to a year in jail.
Reached Wednesday, Dorn declined comment until he speaks with his attorney.
Dorn, 32, of Lynnwood, earlier said he didn’t think there was anything wrong with playing card games with friends at his establishment.
Gambling Commission agents raided his business in December. They broke up the poker game and led Dorn away in handcuffs. He spent a night in jail.
The Dec. 10 raid at his business on 164th Street SE wasn’t the first time agents found what they allege is illegal gambling at Dorn’s establishments.
Dorn first came to the commission’s attention in March 2006 when agents received a tip of possible illegal gambling at the business he used to own, the Jet Deck Bar &Grill at Paine Field, according to charging documents.
Undercover agents visited the Jet Deck and confirmed that Dorn was conducting an organized poker game there, Dickinson said in documents. An agent contacted Dorn in April 2006, informing him that the activity was illegal, Dickinson said.
“The defendant agreed that it would be wiser for him to hold the poker games at his home where it would be legal,” Dickinson said.
At that time, Dorn was warned that if he continued to hold the poker game at the Jet Deck, he would be subject to arrest and a felony charge, Dickinson said.
In September 2006, an agent returned to check and saw a poker game under way in the bar. The Gambling Commission didn’t take action then because Dorn closed the Jet Deck and opened the Jet Bar &Grill in Mill Creek.
An undercover agent went to the Mill Creek business Nov. 26, 2007.
“Sure enough, there was a poker game under way in the bar involving approximately 10 players, and the defendant was clearly in charge of it,” Dickinson said.
An employee told the agent he could buy into the game for $20, and the game was held every Monday night, Dickinson said.
Another game was under way Dec. 10 when the agents served a court-authorized search warrant.
According to court documents, Dorn recalled the 2006 warning, and told agents he had not gotten around to getting a license for his poker tournaments.
He told agents that “he figured that it was no big deal and would only involve a small fine,” Dickinson said.
Reporter Jim Haley: 425-339-3447 or jhaley@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
