Mongoose Pool Hall owner Robert Rice wants to set the record straight about public statements that he made at a board meeting regarding gaming machines, guns and drugs that were allegedly discovered by police at his establishment earlier this month.
Rice told The Enterprise-Tocsin last week that he does not accuse the Indianola Police Department of planting over a half dozen guns that were taken during a “compliance check” that night.
The misunderstanding came from a conversation Rice had with the Indianola board of aldermen, who suspended his business license pending the outcome of charges that are expected to drop any day linked to the three gaming machines police say were in his establishment.
Rice said that he only intended to suggest that the guns police recovered at the scene that night did not belong to him, and that was misconstrued to suggest that the police brought them in and planted them there.
“Everybody in there should have picked up on that,” Rice said.
Rice also acknowledges that the gaming machines are his.
“I knew those machines were here, just like they know there’s a bunch of machines all through town, but they hadn’t said nothing. The chief knows where those machines are down through here,” Rice said.
IPD Chief Ronald Sampson told The E-T this week that the machines, guns and some marijuana were discovered at Mongoose that night during a “compliance check” where officers were checking for a valid business license that he said is supposed to be displayed clearly inside of the building.
“He did not have a license displayed,” Sampson said. “He had nothing in the building.”
Rice told the board shortly after that he indeed has a business license, but it was displayed at the time in a locked room.
Sampson said that he and other officers could smell marijuana, and a cloud of smoke was visible.
Several guns, including an AR pistol, were allegedly recovered.
Rice said he did not know who all was carrying firearms in his establishment, but he knows for sure that none of them belonged to him.
“I didn’t know. When they threw those damn guns back there, I didn’t know what happened,” Rice said. “Make no mistake, it seems to me like they were just putting stuff on me.”
Sampson also maintains that there were several individuals under the age of 18 at the establishment during the check which took place between 10 p.m. and midnight.
“State law says that you have to be 18 and over to be in a pool hall,” Sampson said.
Rice and his girlfriend, Bridgett Caldwell, told The E-T that there were no juveniles there that night.
“I stop them at the door,” Caldwell said.
Rice was not booked on the night police confiscated his alleged gaming machines, and he said that he has yet to be contacted by police.
“I’m wondering why I haven’t been locked up,” Rice said. “I’m ready. I’m ready to bond out.”
Sampson said that his department is awaiting four warrants, three related to the gaming machines and one for operating a gambling house.
No charges are expected related to the guns and the small amount of marijuana allegedly found at Mongoose that night.
