Something tells me there's a LOT MORE to this story than is told here. I smell fish!
Police said Mr. Rivenbark and 31-year-old Dewayne Derone White planned to steal money from the business, which reportedly operates three video poker games in a back room and is open around the clock six days a week.
“Our investigation led us to believe there was no type of furniture refinishing going on in the building,” Wilmington police Lt. Marshall Williamson said.
Lt. Williamson said Mr. Rivenbark was carrying a handgun when he tried to force his way into the business. He was able to get inside and began struggling with clerk Joseph Daggs III. Mr. Daggs separated from Mr. Rivenbark long enough to pull out his own handgun and fire one shot.
The accused robbers fled on foot, police said. Mr. Rivenbark’s body was found in a wooded area nearby. He suffered a fatal chest wound, Lt. Williamson said.
No charges were filed Thursday against Mr. Daggs. Police are tracing the serial numbers of the handguns used by Mr. Rivenbark and Mr. Daggs.
“In our opinion, it is self-defense. Mr. Daggs attempted to retreat and distance himself from the suspect. He did come toward Mr. Daggs and point a weapon toward him,” Lt. Williamson said. “The clerk at the business was, in fact, the victim.”
Meanwhile, Mr. White, of Carolina Beach Road, was charged Thursday with attempted armed robbery. He remained held Thursday night in New Hanover County jail on $76,500 bail.
Police said a Myrtle Beach, S.C., man owns the Jerry’s Furniture Refinishing business and two others of the same name in Wilmington, one in the 3100 block of Market Street and another at 12 S. 17th St. Owner Jerry Huene could not be reached for comment.
The machines at the Cinema Drive location are lawfully registered with the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office. Three video poker machines can be legally operated at each location. About 550 video poker machines are legally registered in Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover and Pender counties, including about 325 in New Hanover County.
Video poker is a controversial, multi-million dollar business in North Carolina. State law only provides for prizes of merchandise valued up to $10, but some machines are modified so cash payouts can be made. Machines that illegally pay out cash to patrons can bring in up to $100,000 in revenue in six months, Lt. Williamson said.
Police Chief Ralph Evangelous said city investigators were unaware the video poker portion of the business was in operation.
“We’re going to be taking a serious look at that whole setup,” he said. “There’s obviously an underground going on here that we didn’t have a clue about.”
Knowing about active video poker operations is one aspect of an ongoing effort to develop better intelligence about what’s going behind the scenes in Wilmington, Chief Evangelous said.
“This is a good example of that, and there were three of them,” he said of the different locations. “In every community, there’s an underground. There’s a whole different economy, and a lot of times we really don’t have a good feel of what’s going on out there.”
Mr. Rivenbark had a lengthy record of criminal convictions that included indecent liberty with a child, breaking and entering and simple assault, according to N.C. Department of Correction records.
Ken Little: 343-2389
ken.little@starnewson.line.com
Something tells me there's a LOT MORE to this story than is told here. I smell fish!
In the other back room, there's a fish market.
I'm not saying he was, but even if the clerk was a dirtbag too, The robber dirtbag became mortally challenged in the act of breaking the law. Is it sad? No....maybe a little. But will we have a less crime in the world because of it? Probably so, judging by his record and his willingness to pull guns on people.
No one made him pull out a gun, but if a dirtbag buys the farm everytime they do it, I don't think people are going to jump up and down and scream that we have to make a law that says we should take some action to make dirtbags less stupid.
So really, it doesn't matter if its Joe Citizen vs. dirtbag, or dirtbag vs. dirtbag, if dirtbag loses it's not a bad thing.