Missouri Poker Robbery Fugitive Arrested in Oklahoma
A man wanted for the armed robbery of the winnings of a poker player who gambled at the Harrah’s North Kansas City (Missouri) Casino on July 1 has been arrested in Oklahoma in connection with the case. Kansas City’s WDAF-TV Channel 4 has reported the arrest of Oscar C. Glover, a Kansas City-area man who is alleged to have trailed his victim for over an hour to a location near the victim’s home in Kansas City’s far southern suburbs, then robbed the man.
According to the video report, after the long trailing, Glover allegedly “cut off the victim with his car, broke out the victim’s car window, and fired shots, all while demanding [the victim’s] winnings.” Glover was later identified as having tailed the victim out of the casino following a review of Harrah’s security footage after the crime was reported. Glover was named on a fugitive warrant issued on July 16 in suburban Cass County, where the armed robbery actually occurred, and arrested in Tulsa, Oklahoma two weeks later.
Glover, 39, of Harrison, Missouri, was initially held at the Tulsa County (OK) jail, pending the completion of extradition back to Missouri’s Cass County. When returned, he will face felony charges of first-degree robbery and armed criminal action. Glover will also face a cash-only $50,000 bond requirement and has been ordered not to have any further contact with the victim, a semi-regular player at the Kansas City poker venue who won’t be named here. Glover will also have a “no firearms” condition applied if he makes bail before any trial that might occur.
Apparently, the victim was robbed of as little as $500, with only a share of that being actual poker winnings. The stolen money was not recovered.
“This wasn’t just a coincidence that it happened. This was a well thought out plan to follow somebody out a casino who had won money and rob them,” said Cass County Sheriff’s Office Captain Kevin Tieman. Tieman also issued the standard warning to casino-goers carrying money to always be aware of their surroundings and to request security accompaniment to vehicles if they suspect any pending threat.
Glover has yet to be formally arraigned on the two felony counts, according to the latest check of Cass County court records.
Oddly, it’s the third story unusual robbery tale connected to gambling activity at Harrah’s North Kansas City since 2015. Kansas City’s Chuck Stanway was the victim of a similar tale-and-rob crime in April of that year. Stanway was relieved of roughly $6,000 by two masked assailants in a broad-daylight crime; those two robbers were never identified or apprehended.
Yet the strangest of these recent tales remains that of Timothy Karpovich, who robbed a Kansas City bank in January 2018 of a little over a thousand dollars just to take the money and play more poker. The hapless Karpovich was quickly identified and arrested, and is currently serving a 65-month prison term for the crime.
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