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Iowa’s Grand Falls Casino Visitors Charged After One Flees Into Corn Field

A man who fled after he presented a fake ID at Iowa’s Grand Falls Casino on Monday was apprehended, police said. An accomplice was also charged.

Grand Falls Casino interior
Grand Falls Casino interior, pictured above. This week, two men were apprehended after one of them fled from the casino when asked for an ID. (Image: SiouxFalls.Business)

Both men were arrested since Monday’s incident at the Larchwood, Iowa gaming property. It appears they were trying to get into the casino and were stopped by authorities.

Ricardo Aurelio Herrerh, 21, is charged with interference with official acts, possession of drug paraphernalia, and unlawful use of a license, police said. Rigoberto Lopez, 25, was charged with possession of a false license or ID card, possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and interference with official acts, police add.

Lopez allegedly ran from authorities and reached a corn field, where he was able to hide. The Sheldon Police Department used one of its specially trained dogs to search for the suspect. They could not locate him.

But on Tuesday, Lopez was spotted by Lyon County deputies near Gitchie Manitou State Preserve. He was apprehended and later charged.

Both men were placed in the Lyon County Jail in Rock Rapids. As of Friday, they were no longer in custody, according to online jail records.

Details on their charges were not immediately available.

Grand Falls Casino is owned by Elite Casino Resorts. The gaming property is approximately 12 miles east of Sioux Falls, Iowa.

Prior Casino Incident

In an unrelated incident in April, a 28-year-old Iowa woman faced two narcotics charges after a plastic bag containing suspected methamphetamine (meth) fell from her clothes. Initially, she was arrested while at the parking lot of Grand Falls Casino.

A Lyon County Sheriff’s Office deputy was at the casino lot to investigate a suspicious parked vehicle. The driver, identified as Christine Larson of Sanborn, was found nearby. She was apprehended, and the deputy confirmed she had outstanding warrants for her arrest.

When initially arresting Larson, the deputy asked her if she had any illegal drugs or other controlled substances. She said no.

The deputy then transported Larson to a nearby jail. When she was getting processed and changed into inmate clothing, the plastic bag fell onto the floor. The bag’s contents later tested positive for meth, reported KIWA, an Iowa radio station.

After the bag of suspected meth dropped from her clothes, she was arrested on more serious charges. Those were possession of contraband in a correctional institution and possession of a controlled substance, KICD, another Iowa station, said.

Casino Winner Robbed

In still another incident, last month two bandits forced an Iowa casino winner off the road in Des Moines and stole over $10,000 from her, police said. Police arrested one alleged robber and continue to search for another.

One of the suspects allegedly broke her driver’s side window, opened the driver’s door, and then yanked her purse out of the car. The money she had just won while playing at Prairie Meadows Casino in Altoona was in her pocketbook.

Timothy Spencer, 30, of Delaware Township, Iowa, was arrested. He had a handgun during the holdup, police claim. He was the one who shattered the window and stole the purse, police said.

Spencer was booked in the Polk County Jail. He is charged with first-degree robbery, first-degree theft, going armed with intent, conspiracy to commit a forcible felony, failure to affix a drug stamp, and possession of a controlled substance, according to online jail records.

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