Two arrested within 30 minutes after $151,000 cash box taken from St. Jo Frontier Casino

A casino in Missouri has recovered $151,000 in cash after two people persuaded an employee to hand over a cash box, with police making arrests shortly afterward. The incident at St. Jo Frontier Casino was reported to law enforcement at about 10:30 am on October 25.

According to the account, the pair claimed that management had authorized them to secure the box. An employee believed them and handed over the money. The manager on duty then learned what had happened and contacted the Missouri State Highway Patrol, starting a race against the clock as the suspects drove away through traffic.

Investigators first reviewed the casino's surveillance footage, which showed the cash box being loaded into a black Jeep Compass. The license plate number was circulated, and police used the Flock license plate reader network across Missouri to track the vehicle. The system detected the Jeep on US Highway 36.

At 10:54, roughly 24 minutes after the report, the Highway Patrol stopped the vehicle and arrested Charles E. Blaisdell, 42, and Heaven L.R. Roberts, 21, both from Joseph, Missouri. Officers obtained a warrant, searched the car and found the full $151,000. Both suspects were charged with Receiving Stolen Property, a Class D felony, and are being held on a $150,000 bond.

St. Jo Frontier Casino is a riverboat property owned by Las Vegas-based Affinity Gaming. The report notes that this type of scam is not unique, since people posing as cash box pick-up staff have succeeded at casinos elsewhere in the United States. In some of those cases the employees who handed over the money were held liable, while in others they were offered additional training.

The outcome in this case was described as a positive sign for the ability of Missouri authorities to intervene quickly in such incidents, and for the property's internal training in preparing staff to respond to them in future.