A trial date has been set for the two remaining video sweepstakes charges against Richard McRoy Taylor Jr.
Superior Court Judge Douglas B. Sasser set May 15 for Taylor to be retried on charges of operating a video gaming machine and misdemeanor electronic sweepstakes. In September, a jury could not reach a unanimous verdict on either charge during a week-long trial in Bladen County Superior Court. Reports are the jury was hung at 11-1 for acquittal on both charges. The jury did find Taylor not guilty of a gambling charge.
William Gore, one of Taylor’s lawyers, on Monday asked for a trial date to be set or for the court to consider a special session if the District Attorney’s office was going to retry the charges. Gore asked about a special session since witnesses in the case will be brought in from different parts of the country. The trial in September was a special session.
Assistant District Attorney Quintin McGee told Sasser his office hasn’t decided whether to retry the cases. He also said that May was the first opening available on the trial calendar.
Sasser ruled for the case to be placed on the May trial calendar with a review of the case in December to see where the sides stand.
| Previous story: One acquittal, two mistrials in Council grocery store owner’s sweepstakes trial |
Taylor operates K&R Grocery located on N.C. 211. The case revolves around whether four Gift Surplus video sweepstakes machines confiscated from the store in August 2015 were legal under North Carolina law. State law prohibits, in most cases, games of chance, which, the state contended, these machines involved.
Taylor’s defense team maintained the games involved skill and dexterity, and that players received credit to make purchases from the Gift Surplus web site equal to the amount of money put into the machine.
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