Gambler Who Left the Casino to Rob a Bank Learns Sentence

A drug-addicted gambler who left a casino, robbed a bank, then returned to the blackjack table was sentenced last week to between five and 18 years in prison. Kerry Johnson had been at the Mardi Gras Casino in Nitro for hours Aug. 2 when he put down a $25 chip to hold his spot. Prosecutors said Johnson then drove 13 miles to a Charleston bank and gave tellers a note saying he had a bomb and a weapon and robbed it of about $5,000. Johnson then returned to the blackjack table and resumed gambling. Johnson pleaded guilty in January to second-degree robbery, and was given credit for seven months already served in jail.