Arcade manager faces theft charges
Published 12:00 am Thursday, July 11, 2002
A former Silver Star Arcade manager accused of stealing $8,200 from the establishment has been ordered to retain counsel and appear in an arraignment hearing July 24 in district court.
Jimmy Cross of Marshall, Texas, appeared in district court Tuesday on a theft of property first degree charge but did not get a chance to enter a plea of guilt or innocence because he did not have an attorney with him.
Judge Nathaniel Walker rescheduled Cross’ first call felony hearing later this month to give the suspect time to hire an attorney. According to Walker, the defendant is not indigent and can afford to retain counsel.
Cross appeared before Walker two weeks ago in a first call felony hearing in which he told the judge he made between “$1,000 to $8,000 a week if business was good.”
Walker then ordered him to retain an attorney.
After leaving with several thousands of dollars from Silver Star Arcade, Cross went to Texas and started his own business. It is unclear what type of business he ran.
However, on Tuesday, Cross told Walker that business had been slow and he could not afford to hire an attorney. Walker didn’t buy his story and gave him until July 24 to appear in court with counsel. Walker warned Cross if he did not have an attorney at the next hearing, he would wave the case to the grand jury.
According to police reports, Cross was hired to manage the Silver Star Arcade on Citizen’s Parkway and was given a company car.
But things turned sour in August of last year. Employees reported that Cross came into the arcade around 10:30 a.m. on Aug. 20 and went to the office. The employees heard noise coming from the office, as if someone was throwing things around. Shortly afterwards, Cross came out of the office with a white trash bag in his hand and left the arcade. The next day, employees called the owner, who lives in Long View, Texas, and reported that they did not have any money to open the arcade and that Cross had not shown up to work.
The owner tried contacting Cross by phone, but was unsuccessful. He then flew to Selma, where he discovered that more than $8,000 which should have been in the safe was missing.
Cross and the owner were reportedly the only persons who had a combination to the store safe.
The owner checked the local hotel where Cross had been living, but could not find him or the company car.
Police tracked Cross down in Mount Pleasant, Texas. Dallas County Sheriff’s deputies went to Texas and extradited Cross back to Texas last month.
Cross is currently out on bond.