Play Meter

OPERATING
Renegade Operator at Large
A traffic accident involving a
vendor's pickup truck in Marin
County, California unravelled some
mysteries regarding stolen amuse-
ment machines.
However, the
Federal fU!;jitive involved is still at
large and IS apt to use the same
method of operations in other areas,
warned A. W. Gillotte, Investiga-
tions Division, Novato, California
Police Department.
Suspect George Joseph Nolan,
39, had been operating Marin
Vending in Novato for two years
under the assumed name of James
Corliss Mallor. Police discovered he
had been using a stolen pickup
truck, as well as stolen games and
vending equipment on his route in
that Northern California community.
Most of the stolen equipment was
from the Los Angeles area, although
some came from as far away as Salt
Lake City, Utah, and Kansas City,
Missouri .
Recovered equipment from the
Los Angeles area included a Wurlit-
zer 1050 juke box belonging to
Jones Music, a cigarette machine
from Royal Vending; and a Kee
Tank cocktail table belonging to
Gene Beley. Roy Jones recalled
how the theft of his juke box
occurred more than a year previous-
ly.
" Someone came into the location
one day and apparently put some
new records on it, then fiddled with
the machine, like something was
wrong . The man told the location
owner the machine would require
some welding and it would be
necessary to take it into the shop
within the next few days. Two of
them returned a couple of days later
and loaded the juke box into their
truck . I never knew anything about
it until the location owner called me
about two weeks later and wanted
to know when we were going to
return the juke boxl"
Beley said his Kee Tank game was
stolen from a Ramada Inn cocktail
lounge on a Sunday morning . "The
cocktail lounge was closed with the
entrance barred by a security gate.
The manager reported she saw it in
the lounge at 10:30 a.m . but noted it
missing by 11 a.m . She had called
me to see if I had picked it up. The
thieves had taken it out a side
door. "
Also of interest to operators is the
fact the suspect had apparently
changed the circuit boards and TV
set on the Kee Tank game. Novato
P.O . traced Beley down through his
name written on the inside and
reporting the theft to Atari-Kee
Games .
Police began unravelling Nolan's
method of oper<ions in January
when he was involved in a traffic
accident with the stolen pickup on
the shores of San Francisco Bay in
Tiburon. The driver of the pickup,
which struck a parked vehicle,
reportedly fled the area.
'This
started the ball rolling," said Officer
Gillotte, "and we also had another
person come forward and state that
most of the machines Nolan oper-
ated were stolen from Southern
California and out of state."
Nolan is described as being 6
foot, 220 pounds; he was born June
13, 1937. The Novato P. O. has a
warrant for possession of stolen
property waiting for him and the
F.B.1. also lists him as a Federal
fugitive from the San Diego area .
Anyone having any information
on the whereabouts of Nolan should
immediately contact Officer Gillotte,
Novato Police Dept., 415 / 897-4361.
Play Meter writer and former operator Gene 8eley ran across this gas
station cum arcade in Agoura, California. "Gary and Joanne Wetzel
operate the arcade, " he wrote us. "They were just moving in when I
visited. I was struck by the unusual location and wondered if others
might benefit from the revolutionary changes going on in the gas station
business. "
Pin Tourney
in Third Year
The Third Annual New York State
Pinball Championship has been
declared the most successful to
date. Millie McCarthy, president of
the New York State Coin Machine
Association, declared herself "thor-
oughly pleased with the manner in
which the tournament was handled,
dating back to its preparations in
November 1976."
This year's finals were held in the
luxurious Parlor "A" of the North-
way Inn, Syracuse, N.Y. and the
winner was a Syracuse man, Gerald
Kieffer.
Kieffer battled his way
through the loser's bracket to win
the trophy in his first entry in the
three year old tournament.
Winner's bracket victor and run-
ner-up was Les Marley, and third
place finisher was Stan Zubrowski,
also from Syracuse.
Participants in the tournament
were winners in local qualifying
tournaments held in locations
throughout the state.
The 1977 tournament was called
the "Vacation Bonanza." As first
place winner, Kieffer received an all
expense paid trip to the Country
Music Awards weekend in Nash-
ville, Tennessee.
Second place
finisher Marley received a weekend
in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and
third-place finisher Zubrowski was
awarded a VIP day at the Gran Prix
races in Watkins Glen, New York.
Distributors from as far away as
Canada were present at the tourna-
ment, highlights of which were
televised by CBS affiliate W TV H of
Syracuse.
Chairman of this year's tourna-
ment was Bill Kern of Putt-A-
Round, Poughkeepsie, New York.
Assisting Kern in the administration
of the tournament were USPTSA
President Jim Ferguson, Ron Bruno
of Bruno Novelty, Roland Smith of
See-North and Mark and Cindy
Davis.
Electronic Amusement Report
has expanded with " Vending Up-
date," a bi-monthly technical report
covering service updates and modi-
fications for vending machines.
Vending Update is written with
the vending operator in mind, and is
designed to supply him with the
same type of valuable technical
data, service tips, and conversions
that E.A.R . now supplies to elec-
tronic game operator. The Electron-
ic Amusement Report is distributed
out of Quincy, Mass.
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