By Kenneth Thompson

Staff writer

Four local convenience store owners and one employee charged with felony commercial gambling turned themselves in this morning and Thursday afternoon to Troup County Sheriff’s deputies.

The arrests followed simultaneous raids of six stores in LaGrange and Hogansville on Wednesday in which sheriff’s officials seized about 45 video poker machines and $64,000 cash.

Debai Bijan, 61, of Nashua Drive, Abid Hameed, 45, of Camellia Drive, James Jabley, 66, of West Point Road, Ashley Railey, 20, of Costley Road and Mukeshkmar Patel, 34, of Hogansville were five of 10 people for whom deputies signed warrants for commercial gambling on Thursday morning.

Others are expected to turn themselves in today and tomorrow, Capt. William Grizzard said.

“We completed warrants for 10 people and we expect for all of them to turn themselves in soon,” he said.

Bijan owns Chevron Gas Station at 2255 West Point Road; Hameed owns Pony Express at 1891 Vernon Road; Jabley manages West Point Road Amusement at 2219 West Point Road; Railey was a clerk at Happy Stop at 2911 Hamilton Road; and Patel owns Marathon Gas Station on U.S. 29 in Hogansville.

Grizzard said only merchandise can be used to pay winnings on video poker machines, but the six stores were paying cash.

Other businesses cited were Kountry Kitchen diner and game room on West Point Road and Wayne’s Game Room on U.S. 29 in Hogansville.

Twenty poker machines were seized from Kountry Kitchen, seven from Wayne’s Game Room, and a few at each of the other locations, Grizzard said.

An undercover agent was used in each store. The most he was paid was about $60, he said, but the agent saw larger cash pay-outs.

Kenneth Thompson can be reached at kethompson@lagrangenews.com or (706) 884-7311, Ext. 228.