Iraq Vet/Auto Glass Shop Owner Arrested for Gambling Charges; Police Say Business Was a Front for Gambling Hall

Auto Glass Solutions owner Eric Justice was arrested last week for his alleged involvement in an illegal gambling hall that police say was in operation in the back of his business in Bullitt County, Ky., according to Hillview Police Officer Roy Raines. Justice, a former Diamond Glass store manager, returned from a National Guard deployment in Iraq several months ago and found that Diamond had been sold to Safelite and he was without a job. He in turn allegedly launched his own business, Auto Glass Solutions. (CLICK HERE for related story.)

However, Raines says the auto glass business was merely a front for the gambling business.

"There were no windshields," Raines told glassBYTEs.com™/AGRR magazine today. "There were no tools, no anything. The name [of the business] has already been scraped off the door."

The police discovered the gambling operation one night by accident, Raines says.

"An officer happened to see two men leaving the building one night and he went to make sure the building was secure," Raines said. "He walked back there and they were playing cards."

At that point, there were only five people involved, Raines says, but the police department received more information on the operation later and obtained a search warrant.

"They had two slot machines and five Texas Hold 'Em Tables, and five to six people could sit at each table," Raines says.

Justice, who was charged with possession of gambling records, promoting gambling, possession of gambling devices and conspiracy to promote gambling, spent one night in jail and posted bail the next morning, according to Raines.

glassBYTEs.com™/AGRR magazine attempted to reach Justice by phone at the number for Auto Glass Solutions and was told he was unavailable, and that he would be the best person to comment on the gambling allegations. Neither the calls nor an e-mail to Justice had been returned at press time.

In a follow-up e-mail interview about how his start-up business was doing, just two weeks ago, Justice advised glassBYTEs.com™/AGRR magazine that business was "going steady."

"It has been a hard start, but it is going steady," said Justice in an e-mail sent July 23.