Bar Owner Arrest On Gambling Device Charge

On January 12, personnel from the state police’s Statewide Organized Crime Investigative Task Force (SOCITF) arrested a local bar owner on a warrant on a charge of possession of an illegal gambling device.

State police said SOCITF personnel arrested Raymond P. Costanzo, 63, of 133 Horse Tavern Road, Trumbull.

Costanzo is the proprietor of 100 Church Hill, a bar located at 100 Church Hill Road in Sandy Hook Center. The charge is a Class A misdemeanor.

“The arrest stemmed from an investigation for illegal gambling devices at 100 Church Hill Road,” state police said in a statement. State police did not specifically describe the device.

“One gambling device was seized at the bar where Costanzo is the liquor permittee,” state police said.

State police spokesman Sergeant J. Paul Vance said the gambling device was seized in the past, after which the arrest warrant was formulated.

Costanzo’s arrest was processed at the Troop A Barracks in Southbury, after which he was released on a written promise to appear for arraignment on the charge on January 23 in Danbury Superior Court.