[August 24, 2011] Club president waives to court; no date for Fairview Tweet SHAMOKIN, Aug 24, 2011 (The News-Item - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The president of Fairview Gun Club in Coal Township, charged with gambling and liquor violations, waived his right to a preliminary hearing Tuesday before Magisterial District Judge John Gembic III. James R. Williams, 79, of 1439 W. Gowen St., Coal Township, waived to county court a charge of unlawful use of illegal gambling devices and two counts of unlawful acts relative to malt or brewed beverages and licensees. Gembic ordered Williams to appear for arraignment Sept. 26 at Northumberland County Court in Sunbury, at which time he can plead guilty or no contest, or seek a trial by pleading not guilty. Fairview Gun Club, 4000 W. State St., Coal Township, which was charged with the same misdemeanor offenses, had its preliminary hearing continued Tuesday. No new hearing date has been set. Williams, who was represented Tuesday by Attorney Marc Lieberman of Elysburg, and the organization were charged last month following an undercover investigation by the State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement (LCE). The charges were filed by Officer Scott D. Berdine in connection with a July 18 incident at Fairview Gun Club. If convicted, Williams could face a fine of $5,000 and up to two years in jail, while the club could also be fined $5,000 and face sanctions that include fines of $2 per fluid ounce of the confiscated beer, which included 10 partial kegs, 163 bottles and 692 cans. Not counting the kegs and assuming the cans and bottles were 12 ounces, the fine would be $20,520. Gambling, drinking According to a criminal complaint, Berdine visited the club and found five individuals: Four of them were playing poker for money and the fifth person was playing a video slot machine. Berdine said he saw a board listing the names of winners of daily small games of chance drawings, but no license was posted at the premises. The officer said he sat at the bar and noticed a tap system with five types of beer available, glasses and two stand-up coolers filled with canned and bottled beer, along with an open table drawer with money in it. On the bar was a table-top video slot machine. Two empty kegs were behind the bar, he reported. Berdine said a sixth person entered the bar, took eight cans of beer and placed a $10 bill in an open cash drawer. Berdine purchased two cans of beer from the bar, as Williams showed three video cameras recording the activities inside. Berdine left the gun club after an hour and returned a week later, when he counted 20 people inside, most of whom had either cans of beer or mugs containing what appeared to be draft beer. Two patrons were seen playing one of the bingo machines, Berdine said. On June 15, another officer met with Williams at his home, where he told police about the club's operation, selling beer and having the gambling devices, according to the LCE. Williams consented to a search of the club, where he showed police the "knock-off" methods for the devices, Berdine reported. After the search, officers seized two video gambling devices, a six-card gambling device, the kegs, bottles and cans of beer, $966 in currency and miscellaneous documents. ___ (c)2011 The News-Item (Shamokin, Pa.) Visit The News-Item (Shamokin, Pa.) at www.newsitem.com Distributed by MCT Information Services [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]