Retired S.D. Police Officer Arrested in Gambling Raid

Police say they have cracked a sports betting ring that took in up to $100,000 a week and arrested four men including a retired San Diego police officer.

“This was a large-scale, well-organized operation,” Detective Jerry Mills said after the four defendants were arrested Tuesday. “They’d take bets on everything from baseball to football and basketball.”

The arrests followed a nine-month investigation that led police to three San Diego residences in the Tierrasanta, Kensington and San Carlos areas. Two of them apparently were sites for bettors to make wagers by phone and the other was the ring’s main office, vice detectives said.

Detectives raided all three sites simultaneously Tuesday, seizing records that showed bank accounts with deposits totaling more than $1 million. They spent much of the afternoon going through the records, which they expect to lead to further arrests, police said.

The four arrested included Lawrence Joseph Simmons, 46, a former San Diego patrol officer who took a medical disability retirement in 1979. Simmons would not answer any questions when detectives tried to interview him later at department headquarters, officials said.

Also arrested were James Allan Keswick, 43, who owns a janitorial service company; insurance salesman John Harmon Clark, 56; and John Michael Genewich, 50, who is unemployed.

Each defendant could face up to six felony bookmaking charges, officials said.

Genewich and Clark were arrested while completing a betting transaction with a customer. Detectives also seized $10,000 in cash while arresting them, police said.

Search warrants were served a short time later at the three residences by detectives who were staking out the sites, Mills said.

Charges also could be filed against those accused of running bets for the alleged ring or others who placed large bets, Sgt. L.D. Martin said.