By Ray King
A Mississippi man who said he had just moved to Pine Bluff was arrested Friday after he allegedly left two minor children in a vehicle for about two hours while he was inside the Saracen Casino.
Michael Hamilton, 37, will have to post a $3,500 bond to be released from the adult detention center after Pine Bluff District Judge John Kearney ruled Monday that prosecutors have probable cause to charge him with two counts of child endangerment.
During a court hearing, Deputy Prosecutor Carol Billings said an officer was sent to the casino just after 4 p.m. Friday after casino security reported that the two children were in alone in a vehicle while Hamilton was inside the casino. The children were age 1 and age 5.
Detective Tamina Smith reported that casino security provided video of Hamilton when he first entered the business and when she arrived at the scene, Hamilton was standing outside a vehicle holding one of the children while the other was in the vehicle. He said there was a long line, but he had gone back and forth to check on the children but that was not seen in the video.
Billings said that when Hamilton was told he was going to be taken to the office for questioning he became loud and irate and when security officers got close to him, they detected an odor of intoxicants. Video also showed him drinking.
In addition to the felony allegations, Hamilton was charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct and public intoxication. He said he would hire his own attorney and was told to have no contact with the children until the case is settled.
