Police: Gambler’s bid to double down at bank turns into bust

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Authorities say a man stood up from a blackjack table in West Virginia, drove to rob a bank and then returned to continue gambling.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail (http://bit.ly/2gdclNS ) reports a Kanawha County grand jury last week indicted 52-year-old Kerry Johnson of Charleston on a bank robbery charge.

Investigators say Johnson had been at the Mardi Gras Casino in Nitro for hours on Aug. 2 when he put down a $25 chip to hold his spot. That’s when police say Johnson drove 13 miles to a Charleston bank, gave tellers a note saying he had a bomb and a weapon and robbed it.

Police say Johnson then returned to the blackjack table and kept gambling.

Johnson could face 10 to 20 years in prison if convicted. It’s unclear whether he has an attorney.

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Information from: The Charleston Gazette-Mail, http://wvgazettemail.com.

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