Coin Slot Magazine - #039 - 1978 - April[International Arcade Museum]
4-B *
THE MIAMI HERALD
Wednesday, Feb. 22, 1978
One-Arm Bandits Return Home
Ncr«ld Staff Writers
than $300 into the court system to get his antiques
back. Tuesday he finally won.
County Judge Mattie Belte Davis ruled Tuesday
that Sheriff K. Wilson PurcJy mibt return them.
"It's a shame we had to file suit and waste the
court's time to get these things back," said Harvey
Mattel, Sebastian's attorney.
Mattel subpenaed representatives of Neiman-Mar-
cus Co. and Burdine's Department stores, who testi
fied that their stores sell roulette wheel* "for home
entertainment," Mattel said.
He also cited as evidence the Feb. 19 edition of the
Herald, in which classified ads carried two advertise
ments for roulette wheels.
Despite all this, Judge Davis ruling was made on a
technicality — that the police had never charged Se
bastian and could not hold his property — which left
the mam question unresolved.
A Florida House bill now pending would exempt
gambling machines made before Jan. 1, 1941), from
d by Sebastian
the Honda statute governing such device:*. I'he bill is
http://www.arcade-museum.com/
© The International Arcade Museum
By ROBERT L1SS
And AL MESSERSCHM1DT
It was July 18, 1977. Two grim-faced plainclothes
sheriff's deputies drove slowly up to the Rinky Tink
Amusement Co. at 8758 SW 129th Terr.
First they had Rinky Tink owner Charles Sebas
tian, a 48-year-oid Miami native, show them his an
tique player piano.
Then they inquired about the antique slot ma
chines, the ones with the art dec© motifs. That's when
Sebastian's luck turned*
•*THEY FLASHED their badges and told me, 'This
is contraband! You can't have this! Were taking it!' "
Sebastian recalled Tuesday.
*4One of them was really a pistol. I had them call
the State Attorney's Office, and I think the man there
told them they were being silly," Sebastian said, "ho-
has pumped
Submitted by Mr. Charles Sebastian
move
cause this policeman started jumping up and down
Since the incident* Sebastian
saying, 'You can't tell me my job!' "
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