A City Council member in Brinkley faces a gambling charge after a raid on his barbecue restaurant, authorities said.
Gene DePriest, 81, faces one felony count of keeping a gambling house, records show. He was served with a warrant Thursday at Brinkley City Hall and later was released on his own recognizance.
Special agents with the 1st Judicial Circuit Task Force entered Gene’s Bar-B-Que Restaurant in Brinkley on April 19 and seized 10 video arcade machines and cash, according to a news release. Several patrons also were interviewed and released, the task force said.
The Brinkley Police Department said it had notified DePriest in December 2016 of state law regarding gambling machines and requested that any devices be removed within 15 days.
The Arkansas State Police assisted in executing the search warrant of the eatery, the release said.
Brinkley, a town of about 4,000 residents in Monroe County, is about 70 miles east of Little Rock.