That is how the owner of Diamonds in Laurel Hill describes Friday's raid by sheriff's deputies in which several video gaming machines were seized. He said said the sheriff's operation seemed more like a hold up than a crime-fighting effort.
When law enforcement came to the door, Dana Parker Mahar, the clerk, said she thought the place was being robbed.
The officers stood to the side of the door, with only their black gloves visible , she said.
Mahar said she frantically called Mitchell Goude, whose wife owns and operates the gaming business, to tell him what had happened.
He advised her to call the sheriff's department.
She started to call, when she noticed the word "police" on the gloves.
Mahar said she then informed officers that she was going to open the door to let them in.
As she approached the door of the Old Wire Road business, an officer she identified as Lt. Britt kicked in the door.
He then pointed a gun at her and forced her to lay down on the grown that was now covered in broken glass, Mahar said. He then handcuffed her.
She also said that a 73-year old man, who was at one of the machines, was also forced to lay on the ground by Britt, where he was handcuffed.
Mahar said that Britt then took her into the other room, where he allegedly threatened her if she did not give him the information he wanted.
"He said 'do you want to go home to your four kids tonight?'" Mahar said.
She said that Britt asked her to switch the gaming machines over to the video poker machines. Mahar said told the deputy that the machines could not be switched. She said she was then taken to one of the sheriff's cars and made to sit for more two hours.
Goude was upset about the treatment of Mahar and Diamonds' customers.
"That's not being a law enforcement officer, that is being the gestapo," Goude said. "It was totally unnecessary. If they don't identify themselves... it scares people."
He took issue with what he alleges was damage to personal property.
Goude said the phone was damaged by officers - he believed it was because officers were tired of getting phone calls.
He also said that most of the money confiscated, about $3,000, was taken from the cash registers and not from the confiscated machines. He said deputies also removed tax documents, including 1099 forms that the establishment is required to fill out for people who win over a certain amount of money.
"My biggest problem is the way they treated the [customers]," Goude said. Most of the customers are middle-aged or older, he said.
As for the machines, Goude said they were perfectly legal. He said they were in a side room because that is where there was the space to accommodate them. He added that the door is kept open to the room all the time.
He seemed baffled by what deputies actually believed was going on.
He showed a reporter a signed affidavit attached to the search warrant that stated that officers believed the machines looked like the legal internet sweepstakes game machines but were illegal gambling machines.
The affadavit, prepared by Alcohol Enforcement Agent Chris Watkins, stated that an informant told the officer that "the operator of Diamonds had the ability to quickly change the illegal video gaming machine to appear to be harmless amusement games with the flip of the switch."
Goude said that this is the first he'd heard about machines being able to do that.
He also felt his business was being treated unfairly. Another store that also was accused of having illegal machines only had the owner charged, not the clerk, he said.
The owner is Goude's wife, Tammy Lee Smith.
Goude also said that "most of the officers were nice and well mannered." The only exception he saw was Britt.
Goude also questioned the legality of the raid, noting that there is a court injunction against law enforcement seizing the kind of machine Diamaond's had.
But Sheriff Shep Jones said the raid was conducted properly.
He said the officer kicking the door in because they were locked. Jones said that confiscating the money from the cash register was also legal.
"When you execute a search warrant, you're not going over there to shake their hands," Jones said.
He would not comment on specifics about the machines, stating that it could jeopardize the investigation.
"I am confident that they were not legal," Jones said. "They will have their day in court and we will go from there."
Deputies charged Goude, 55, Tammy Lee Smith, 37, both of Gibson Road in Laurel Hill and Mahar, 29, of Marston Road in Laurel Hill
with of possession of illegal video gaming machines, according to a sheriff's report.
According to the report, deputies also confiscated more than $4,000 in cash from the machines.
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