Deputies Arrest 4 in Betting Probe

Orange County sheriff’s deputies arrested four persons Tuesday and are seeking a fifth in connection with a million-dollar horse-and-sports betting operation based in Laguna Hills.

Lt. Bob Kemmis said the arrests culminated a nine-month investigation by the Sheriff’s Department criminal activities unit. The investigation may turn up evidence of other gambling operations in the south county area, he added.

The suspects were allegedly involved in three betting rings, conducted primarily in bars, and took in between $5,000 and $10,000 each week, Kemmis said. Investigators reported that they found daily and weekly betting records showing names of individual bettors.

Arrested at their homes on felony charges of illegal bookmaking were Travis Taylor King, 48; Phyllis Jane King, 39, and Robert Lee Chenault, all of Laguna Hills, and Thomas Heller, 38, of Mission Viejo, police said. The name of the fifth suspect was not disclosed.