Politics & Government

Police Raid Bar Owned by State Delegate

No charges filed after video devices linked to alleged illegal gambling seized, investigation continues.

UPDATED (5:09 p.m.)—Video devices linked to alleged illegal gambling were seized late last month from a Dundalk bar owned by Del. Joseph "Sonny" Minnick" and his brother.

Det. Cathy Batton, a police spokeswoman, said Thursday detectives raided Minnick's Restaurant, located in the 7100 block of Sollers Point Road, around 7:30 p.m. June 29.

Five video game devices were seized.

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"No charges have been filed at this time," Batton said. "It's an ongoing investigation. We do expect to file charges at the end of the investigation."

Del. Joseph "Sonny" Minnick, his wife Barbara Jean Minnick and brother Daniel Minnick are listed as owners of the restaurant, according to county liquor license records.

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Elise Armacost, a police spokeswoman, declined to comment on whether or not the state delegate was a target of detectives, citing the ongoing nature of the investigation.

Josephy "Sonny" Minnick, a 6th District Democrat, declined to comment on the investigation when reached by phone Thursday afternoon.

"I don't want you to run this story," Minnick said. "I won't talk to you in the future."

A female tending bar at the restaurant Thursday said Daniel Minnick runs the day-to-day operations. The bartender declined to give her name.

The investigation of the restaurant apparently began in May after county liquor board officials received complaints, according to Mike Mohler, administrator of the county liquor board.

"The complaint said that Minnick's is paying off on video poker machines and have been for some time," Mohler said.

Mohler said the liquor board forwarded the complaint to police and will explore potential penalties if and when there is a conviction involving the case.

Minnick's has no prior complaints in front of the liquor board, Mohler said.

"They are 100 percent clean from what I can tell," Mohler said.

County law limits the number of video entertainment devices, excluding jukeboxes and pool tables, to four.

There are four such devices licensed to Minnick's Restaurant, according to county records.

The devices—two Fruit Bonus machines, a Cherry Master and a poker machine—are similar to machines seized in the past by county police during illegal gaming probes.

County permit records show that machines were owned by restaurant rather than leased.

Don Brand, the county's chief code administrator, said all four licenses were signed by Daniel Minnick Jr., brother of the state delegate.


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