Ex-Deputy Among 3 Accused of Cheating at Casino

Three people, including a former Orange County Sheriff’s deputy, won more than $100,000 over three days before they were stopped and accused of cheating at blackjack at the new Casino Windsor, authorities said.

Barbara Dancey, 56, of West Bloomfield, Ontario; Christopher Zalis, 29, of Marlton, N.J.; and Karen Conroy, 28, of State College, Pa., were arrested Saturday.

Casino officials told The Detroit News that they became suspicious when the three wagered widely varying amounts on different hands.

Zalis gambled, while Dancey and Conroy sat at the table and used a bead system to illegally count cards, Canadian authorities said.

Lt. Dan Martini, of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, said that Dancey’s employment records had been routinely destroyed but that she worked “off-and-on” as a deputy from 1967 to 1984, mostly as a matron in women’s jail.

Dancey’s departures from the job appeared to be “self-terminations,” without incident, Martini said.

Detective Sgt. John White of the Ontario Provincial Police casino squad said officers “began to watch these individuals over a couple of days. . . . Our belief is they used devices in counting and keeping track of high-value cards.”

The three face court hearings July 18 on charges of conspiracy to cheat at play and cheating at play. The charges carry up to two years in prison. The three are free on $5,000 bond each.