Brian Petersen (Hall County Corrections Department, courtesy photo)
GRAND ISLAND – A Wood River man has been arrested for vandalizing gaming machines at two locations in August and September and stealing money from the machines.
Grand Island Police Department Division Chief Dean Elliott said that Brian Petersen, 33, of Wood River was arrested for the incidents.
The first incident occurred at 4:36 a.m. Aug. 29 at a laundromat at 503 N. Pine St. Officers observed that two gambling slot machines had been damaged, and all of the money inside the machines had been stolen.
The second incident occurred at Sept. 14 at a laundromat at 716 St. Paul Road. Two gaming machines were damaged after the business opened. Cash was stolen from the machines.
Petersen was arrested in the two cases for felony theft by unlawful taking ($1,500 to $4,999) and two counts of misdemeanor criminal mischief.
Elliott said that Petersen had turned himself in for a warrant for a traffic violation Nov. 26 and was being held at the Hall County Corrections Department. A police officer interviewed him there, and that’s when police gained information about the August and September gaming machine incidents.
