Violent Poker Game

January 31, 2009

In what started as a competitive but friendly game of poker ended with a violent fight that involved a knife in the parking lot where the game was held. The poker game was a late night event that lasted into the wee hours of Friday morning, and ended in a very violent conclusion.

The Kingpin Lounge and Lanes on Montana Street was the site of the poker game, and it had gone well, or at least most people thought so. Somewhere around 5 a.m. when the poker game was ending and people were leaving, a woman allegedly got into a shouting match with another group of people who were also leaving.

The argument moved out into the bowling alley’s parking lot, which is where it turned violent. Sara Petrakis, 22, of Butte, allegedly had a pocket knife on her which she used to attack the bar owner. Although not causing serious injury, she was able to cut his abdomen and chest before she was pulled away from him.

Police charged her with assault with a weapon, which is a pretty hefty offense. If she is convicted she will face a felony charge with a maximum 20 year prison sentence. Police say that they are still investigating what went on at the poker game to see why the fight ws started in the first place. They are also curious as to the circumstances surrounding the poker game as it went past closing time and was obviously serving liquor past the 2 am cut off.