Investigators with the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office seized several illegal gambling machines in eastern Orangeburg County last month.

In a press release issued Friday, authorities responded to complaints of possible illegal gaming in Santee.

Sheriff’s deputies mounted a sweep in Santee on Oct. 20, seizing six poker machines at the Oasis Club and five poker machines at Santee Landing. Three more machines were seized at Aces High in Eutawville.

The deputies worked in conjunction with the State Law Enforcement Division to uncover the machines, which will be destroyed.

The operators of those machines could be facing a “misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than $500 or imprisoned for a period of not more than one year, or both,” according to state statute 12-21-2710.

Video poker machines were outlawed in the Palmetto State on July 1, 2000.

In other reports:

* A Good Samaritan notified deputies Thursday after finding a wallet at an Orangeburg convenience store. The Indiana man told deputies that at around 6 a.m., he noticed a wallet in the parking lot of Love’s Truck Stop. He then called deputies. When officers arrived, they discovered the wallet contained some cash, two birth certificates and the driver’s license of a 23-year-old Michigan woman. Deputies noted in their report they would contact the woman to return the wallet.

* Day-care workers contacted law enforcement Thursday when they found a cell phone believed to have been part of a failed shoplifting incident. Sugar and Spice workers called deputies about a cell phone they had found. The silver phone was taken back to Wal-Mart, where it was believed to have been stolen from earlier this week. A Union Street man was arrested Tuesday after leading deputies on a chase near the day-care. He was accused of taking two cell phone chargers, a cell phone battery and other items. Two cell phones were still missing when the 20-year-old man was arrested.

* A Cope woman on Thursday reported the attempt theft of her ATV. The woman said at around noon, three unknown men attempted to take her red ATV from her shed. The men left in a green Ford truck. Deputies ran the tag number the woman gave, and it came back to a van belonging to a church in Turbeville. Deputies indicated they would contact Turbeville authorities.

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