Internet cafe crackdown in Marion: 2 arrests and lots of closed doors
The Star-Banner visited multiple cafes during the day and found most of them shuttered. That included the Blackjack Arcade on U.S. 301 in Summerfield, which was operating up until Monday evening. But then it got busted about 6 p.m., and two employees were arrested and accused of violating the ordinance.
The Marion County Sheriff s Office, which pushed for the ordinance, provided the Star-Banner with a list of names and addresses for cafes that until very recently had been in business. More than half are located in south and southeast Marion.
Tuesday, February 9, 2021 by Joe Byrnes (WMFE)
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Blackjack Arcade on U.S. 301 south of Belleview. Photo: Joe Byrnes
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Last week the Marion County Commission outlawed the fish tables and slot machines used by internet cafes.
Now sheriff’s deputies have started to enforce the ban by arresting game room workers.
The Sheriff Office had championed the ordinance, on the grounds that internet cafes attract violent crime.