Scott Tucker Retires After Bust

By Katherine Waters

Pelham police Lieutenant Scott Tucker announced his retirement earlier this month, which marks the end of several years of well-regarded service for the Pelham, Ala., area. Tucker is known for being a dependable resource for journalists and maintaining professionalism throughout his years with the Pelham Police Department. He also made national headlines and had the gaming world abuzz when he busted a large, unauthorized game of Texas Hold 'Em in Pelham early in 2010.

Pelham and Hoover police had a search warrant, which they served under Tucker as they entered a building near Highway 31 in Pelham on a Saturday afternoon in February. More than 72 players were involved in the game, and they had put in money totaling thousands of dollars. Of the 72 players, no one was arrested when Tucker's team performed the raid, but the investigation had been going on for weeks, and several pieces of equipment were seized to aid the investigation further.

Tucker made a statement at the time that all participants were cooperative, identified and released without charges. Although the raid provided a benchmark in the investigation, it was still ongoing, with investigators to do further work and gather more information before they presented the case to the Shelby County District Attorney. The DA would make the final decision on whether to file charges against any of the people involved, and if so, which of them would be prosecuted.

Tucker said many of the players in the tournament weren't even from the Pelham/Shelby County area, but had come from outside locations in order to play. There was evidence that the large tournament was not the first of its kind, and many of the people playing had been to other tournaments prior to the raid, some several times.

Poker websites and forums across the country started talking about where to draw the line and if house-hosted poker games would be cracked down un unfairly in the future. But Tucker was clear about the significance of this particular raid, saying that the situation had escalated far past a point of just playing cards with neighbors or friends. "Now there are instances where that may be considered a violation of the law," he said. "Now this case involved multiple people coming from numerous parts of the state."

In Alabama, it is illegal to gain profit from an illegal gambling activity. The investigation sought to decipher whether the game could fall under a provision of the law, which allows a defense against the charges if the person charged with participating in the illegal activity was "engaged in a social game in a private place."

Tucker further calmed the fears of poker players by explaining that if charges were filed from the raids, it could be because prosecutors concluded that the promoters of the games violated another state law, one that makes it illegal to promote or profit from illegal gambling even if you don't participate in the game. For those who do play poker recreationally, the raids weren't any reason to worry, but Tucker and his investigative team said they knew of other games operating in the area and would investigate them in the coming weeks.

The poker bust was one of Tucker's most talked-about acts as Pelham lieutenant.

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