Post by west-texan on Jan 22, 2009 9:15:23 GMT -5
Cowboys and rednecks consider gambling to be "manly" but it's a risky line of business to be in.
www.amarillo.com/stories/012209/new_12362001.shtml
Home > News > Local News
Web-posted Thursday, January 22, 2009
Amarillo Slim beaten, robbed
By Janelle Stecklein
janelle.stecklein@amarillo.com
Amarillo Slim arrived at a hotel on Soncy Road expecting to collect a debt.
But the man he met apparently had other plans.
Amarillo police say Slim, whose real name is Thomas Preston, was beaten and robbed Tuesday night at the hotel near Interstate 40.
The 80-year-old Slim, a world champion poker player, said it was the fifth time he's been robbed in a year.
He said Wednesday that he was lured to a field next to the hotel at 9:10 p.m. with the promise of a four-wheeler that was to serve as collateral for a $3,000 gambling debt, Slim said.
"The four-wheeler didn't come, but the bogeyman did," he said.
Amarillo police said Slim suffered minor abrasions and did not require medical treatment at the scene.
But Slim said he was beaten so badly he suffered a broken hand, thumb and jaw and went to a hospital for treatment. Doctors told him the jaw will require surgery, he said.
The assailant also stole $8,000 in cash Slim was carrying and a 7.5-carat diamond ring valued at $85,000, he said.
"I don't know what he hit me with, but it sure hurts," he said.
"They left me laying out there in that field. Certainly, they assumed I was dead."
When he regained consciousness, he said he went to the front desk of the hotel, where employees called police.
According to a police report, Slim said he was robbed by a man in his late 30s. Slim said the man who beat him wasn't wearing a mask and that he recognized him.
He gave police a name and phone number for the person he suspects was his assailant.
As to why he was carrying such a large amount of cash, he said that is part of his profession.
"Because of what I do, we have to have money, we don't use a check or an IOU," he said.
Slim said someone must be looking out for him to have survived so many robberies.
"They're still sweating and I'm still betting," he said.
www.amarillo.com/stories/012209/new_12362001.shtml
Home > News > Local News
Web-posted Thursday, January 22, 2009
Amarillo Slim beaten, robbed
By Janelle Stecklein
janelle.stecklein@amarillo.com
Amarillo Slim arrived at a hotel on Soncy Road expecting to collect a debt.
But the man he met apparently had other plans.
Amarillo police say Slim, whose real name is Thomas Preston, was beaten and robbed Tuesday night at the hotel near Interstate 40.
The 80-year-old Slim, a world champion poker player, said it was the fifth time he's been robbed in a year.
He said Wednesday that he was lured to a field next to the hotel at 9:10 p.m. with the promise of a four-wheeler that was to serve as collateral for a $3,000 gambling debt, Slim said.
"The four-wheeler didn't come, but the bogeyman did," he said.
Amarillo police said Slim suffered minor abrasions and did not require medical treatment at the scene.
But Slim said he was beaten so badly he suffered a broken hand, thumb and jaw and went to a hospital for treatment. Doctors told him the jaw will require surgery, he said.
The assailant also stole $8,000 in cash Slim was carrying and a 7.5-carat diamond ring valued at $85,000, he said.
"I don't know what he hit me with, but it sure hurts," he said.
"They left me laying out there in that field. Certainly, they assumed I was dead."
When he regained consciousness, he said he went to the front desk of the hotel, where employees called police.
According to a police report, Slim said he was robbed by a man in his late 30s. Slim said the man who beat him wasn't wearing a mask and that he recognized him.
He gave police a name and phone number for the person he suspects was his assailant.
As to why he was carrying such a large amount of cash, he said that is part of his profession.
"Because of what I do, we have to have money, we don't use a check or an IOU," he said.
Slim said someone must be looking out for him to have survived so many robberies.
"They're still sweating and I'm still betting," he said.
