COSTA MESA : 9 Cited for Gambling in Golf Course Probe
After a two-month investigation, police this week cited seven men on suspicion of gambling in high stake card games in the locker rooms of the Costa Mesa Public Golf Course.
Two golf course employees, who served the men drinks while they played, were also cited in connection with the illegal card games, police said.
The men played a game called “Hollywood Gin” in the men’s and women’s locker rooms of the club at 1701 Golf Course Drive, police said.
“They were gambling directly beneath a ‘No Gambling’ sign,” Police Lt. Gary Webster said.
During the investigation, police discovered that players lost as much as $4,000 in one sitting. Police seized $6,500 cash in Monday’s bust.
Cited on suspicion of gambling were Kenneth Gordon Chase, 45, of Fountain Valley; William Thomas Glarner, 54, of Irvine; Richard Phillip Archer, 49, ofCosta Mesa; George Edward Dernback, 61, of Santa Fe Springs; Larry Lee Leach, 50, of Rosemead; Charles Edward Baker, 50, of Costa Mesa; and Herbert Han Stricker, 61, of Santa Ana.
The employees cited on suspicion of gambling were Diane Ray Runyan, 34, of Costa Mesa and Luis Cardenas Gonzalez, 25, of Santa Ana.
The club’s general manager, William Charvet, did not answer phone calls Tuesday.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
