Crime & Safety
Punching Slot Machine Costs Man $1,510, Police Say
New York man celebrating his 63rd birthday at casino destroyed slots video display screen, state police say.
A Queens, New York man who marked his 63rd birthday over the weekend admitted he punched out a slot machine at the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem early Monday, leaving the casino with a $1,510 bill for a replacement video display screen.
A criminal complaint filed against the suspect, John Kim of the Woodside section of the borough, does not say what prompted him to allegedly punch the slot machine.
It does say that surveillance video shows Kim punching the machine around 12:58 a.m. Surveillance also spotted Kim in the casino parking lot waiting for a departing bus. Police were dispatched around 1:46 a.m.
The casino’s security supervisor talked to Kim on the parking lot, where he admitted to punching the machine, according to the complaint filed by Trooper Salvatore Alaimo of state police at Bethlehem.
The complaint also notes that Kim, once inside the security office, did not have a valid identification card and could not provide a permanent address. But the complaint’s lead sheet says Kim lives on 43rd Avenue in Woodside.
Kim was charged with criminal mischief and disorderly conduct. He was arraigned at Monday morning by on-duty District Judge Diane Marakovits of Northampton and committed to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $3,000 bail.
