http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...home-stole-35-800-winnings-bedside-table.html
[h=1]'I kept my life and got a manila envelope': Casino jackpot winner looks on bright side after armed robbers who followed him home stole $35,800 in winnings from his bedside table[/h]
By Mike Jaccarino
PUBLISHED:21:30 EST, 13 January 2013| UPDATED:21:48 EST, 13 January 2013
An Ohio man now knows how easily Lady Luck giveth - and how quickly she taketh away.
David Hayes, 29, of Columbus won nearly $36,000 playing blackjack at an Ohio casino in October - but awoke hours later in his bed at home to a trio of armed robbers who apparently had followed him to his residence.
'I look at it as I lost $1,000, which is what I played with,' Hayes told The Columbus Dispatch. “I kept my life, and I got a manila envelope (as a souvenir).'
SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO
Robbed: David Hayes won nearly $36,000 in October - but then lost the money after three men apparently followed him home from the casino
Souvenir: Hayes accepted the money in a manila envelope (pictured) which the bandits left after absconding with the cash
Hayes brought the winnings home in the envelope - and the robbers left it behind when they absconded with the cash.
[h=4][/h]
Now, police are saying that they have busted a second suspect in connection with the brazen theft.
Ronald Jones, 26, also of Columbus, has been reportedly charged with aggravated robbery after his Tuesday arrest.
Also reportedly in custody and similarly charged is Ryan Bundy, 20, who lives at the same addresses as Jones and was picked up in October. He is also charged with related offences.
Meanwhile, police told The Dispatch they are still searching for a third accomplice: Wendell Watkins Sr., 30, who is also charged with aggravated robbery.
The casino: Hayes won the money at the Hollywood Casino Columbus in Columbus, Ohio. He said he wasn't aware he could accept a check, rather than the big, 'brick' of cash he did take
Magical run: Hayes hit the proverbial jackpot during a five-hour stint at the casino's blackjack tables that extended into the early morning
Cops apparently connected the dots after one of the men was overheard bragging about the theft, according to 10TV.com in Columbus.
The affair begins with a magical, five-hour hot streak at a Hollywood Casino Columbus blackjack table that extended into the early morning hours of Oct. 21, in which Hayes won $35,800.
Hayes told The Dispatch that he mistakenly accepted his winnings in cash - a big bundle of 358 $100 bills that the casino cashier placed in a manila envelope for him to conveniently carry home.
The self-employed jewelry maker said he wasn't aware that he could instead choose to have the house cut him a check.
'It was a year’s salary, all in one night,' he reportedly said. 'It was the answer to everyone’s debt around me. I was so excited, I couldn’t sleep, thinking of things I was going to be able to do with the money.'
Casino personnel reportedly escorted Hayes to not only the cashier, but also to his car when he left the establishment.
In the wind: Police are still searching for Wendell Watkins, Sr., 30, in connection with the brazen robbery of Hayes' money
In custody: Ronald Jones, 26, and Ryan Bundy, 20, have already been charged with the robbery. Jones was arrested Tuesday
'I stood out like a sore thumb from the moment I was playing to the moment I cashed out all the way to the car,' Hayes told 10TV.com in Columbus.
'I didn’t know what to do with it, because it was basically the size of a brick. They gave me a folder that this would be good enough, so I walked out with a football-sized envelope full of cash.'
Then and after driving home, Hayes placed his luck-gotten gains on his nightstand, and went to sleep with the intention of depositing the winnings in the bank the first thing in the morning, The Dispatch reports.
But hours later at about 7 a.m., he was rudely awakened by three armed men, one of whom placed a gun to his head.
'Clearly, that is a lot of cash, and we think it’s more convenient and better for patrons to take a check rather than take that amount of cash.'
Hayes, for his part, reportedly thinks someone who standing in line at the cashier at the time he received his winnings saw his address written down by casino officials.
Detective Thomas Clark of the Columbus police robbery squad told the Dispatch that’s likely what happened.
'Clearly, that is a lot of cash, and we think it’s more convenient and better for patrons to take a check rather than take that amount of cash,' Bob Tenenbaum, a casino spokesman, told The Dispatch.
Lady Luck still continues to smile on Hayes, who has won back the amount he lost in the robbery during about a dozen return trips to the same casino.
As for the manila envelope that once held his now-lost winnings, Hayes has another plan in mind: He's going to frame it.
WATCH VIDEO HERE
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[h=1]'I kept my life and got a manila envelope': Casino jackpot winner looks on bright side after armed robbers who followed him home stole $35,800 in winnings from his bedside table[/h]
- David Hayes won the astounding sum during a magical, five-hour run at a blackjack table
- Awoke in his bed at home hours later to three armed men, one of whom put a gun to his head
- Cops think the robbers saw a casino worker record Hayes' home address when he cashed out
- Hayes plans to frame the manila envelope in which he carried home the money
- The Ohio man has since won back all the money that was robbed during return visits to the casino
- Two men in custody for the crime, and a third is being sought
By Mike Jaccarino
PUBLISHED:21:30 EST, 13 January 2013| UPDATED:21:48 EST, 13 January 2013
An Ohio man now knows how easily Lady Luck giveth - and how quickly she taketh away.
David Hayes, 29, of Columbus won nearly $36,000 playing blackjack at an Ohio casino in October - but awoke hours later in his bed at home to a trio of armed robbers who apparently had followed him to his residence.
'I look at it as I lost $1,000, which is what I played with,' Hayes told The Columbus Dispatch. “I kept my life, and I got a manila envelope (as a souvenir).'
SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO
Hayes brought the winnings home in the envelope - and the robbers left it behind when they absconded with the cash.
[h=4][/h]
Now, police are saying that they have busted a second suspect in connection with the brazen theft.
Ronald Jones, 26, also of Columbus, has been reportedly charged with aggravated robbery after his Tuesday arrest.
Also reportedly in custody and similarly charged is Ryan Bundy, 20, who lives at the same addresses as Jones and was picked up in October. He is also charged with related offences.
Meanwhile, police told The Dispatch they are still searching for a third accomplice: Wendell Watkins Sr., 30, who is also charged with aggravated robbery.
Cops apparently connected the dots after one of the men was overheard bragging about the theft, according to 10TV.com in Columbus.
The affair begins with a magical, five-hour hot streak at a Hollywood Casino Columbus blackjack table that extended into the early morning hours of Oct. 21, in which Hayes won $35,800.
Hayes told The Dispatch that he mistakenly accepted his winnings in cash - a big bundle of 358 $100 bills that the casino cashier placed in a manila envelope for him to conveniently carry home.
The self-employed jewelry maker said he wasn't aware that he could instead choose to have the house cut him a check.
'It was a year’s salary, all in one night,' he reportedly said. 'It was the answer to everyone’s debt around me. I was so excited, I couldn’t sleep, thinking of things I was going to be able to do with the money.'
Casino personnel reportedly escorted Hayes to not only the cashier, but also to his car when he left the establishment.
In custody: Ronald Jones, 26, and Ryan Bundy, 20, have already been charged with the robbery. Jones was arrested Tuesday
'I stood out like a sore thumb from the moment I was playing to the moment I cashed out all the way to the car,' Hayes told 10TV.com in Columbus.
'I didn’t know what to do with it, because it was basically the size of a brick. They gave me a folder that this would be good enough, so I walked out with a football-sized envelope full of cash.'
Then and after driving home, Hayes placed his luck-gotten gains on his nightstand, and went to sleep with the intention of depositing the winnings in the bank the first thing in the morning, The Dispatch reports.
But hours later at about 7 a.m., he was rudely awakened by three armed men, one of whom placed a gun to his head.
'Clearly, that is a lot of cash, and we think it’s more convenient and better for patrons to take a check rather than take that amount of cash.'
Hayes, for his part, reportedly thinks someone who standing in line at the cashier at the time he received his winnings saw his address written down by casino officials.
Detective Thomas Clark of the Columbus police robbery squad told the Dispatch that’s likely what happened.
'Clearly, that is a lot of cash, and we think it’s more convenient and better for patrons to take a check rather than take that amount of cash,' Bob Tenenbaum, a casino spokesman, told The Dispatch.
Lady Luck still continues to smile on Hayes, who has won back the amount he lost in the robbery during about a dozen return trips to the same casino.
As for the manila envelope that once held his now-lost winnings, Hayes has another plan in mind: He's going to frame it.
WATCH VIDEO HERE
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