SWEETWATER, Fla. – Three Mississippi men posted up near the Victoria’s Secret at the Dolphin Mall to run an illegal gambling scheme Thursday, arrest reports state. But Sweetwater police also had a secret: They say a plainclothes cop was watching them.
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Richard Sherode Lankston, 32, of Flora, Mississippi; Tiyaun Markell Mack, 32, of Jackson, Mississippi; and Xavian Jarquay Stapleton, 29, of Flora, Mississippi, are facing felony bookmaking charges in South Florida.
The arrest reports state that the officer was on the mall’s second floor at around 4:45 p.m. and saw the setup one floor below, between the lingerie store and GameStop.
The three had stopped there to run a shell game, the reports state.
“I observed a hand-to-hand exchange of money prior to the game initiating,” the officer wrote. “I then witnessed defendant Lankston holding a black felt board with three black caps and a small ball under one of the caps (and) begin to shuffle them in front of the unknown Black male and female.”
The officer continued: “Shortly after, a white female was enticed by all (3) defendants to engage in the same game of chance (shell game). The defendants were observed promoting the game to further convince the unknown white female to engage.”
The report states the officer “again witnessed a hand-to-hand exchange of money” and waited for backup officers, who then took the Magnolia State men into custody.
Authorities said Lankston had more than $9,500 on him, Mack had more than $960 and Stapleton had nearly $4,700.
Cops seized all of the cash, the report states.
Additionally, police said Stapleton had a black, semi-automatic gun on him, leading to an additional charge of using a firearm in the commission of a felony.
All three were in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center as of Friday afternoon.