Photo by Wikimedia Commons, CC by 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/)
Indiana casino robber officially behind bars
Birdseye’s sentencing was handed out in a Dearborn County court.
According to investigators, the man entered the casino’s cage area and demanded money from employees while aiming a firearm. Security cameras captured footage of the incident, including Birdseye pointing his weapon at an employee’s chest from about one foot away.
Police responded to the casino around 8:00 p.m. local time. He led authorities on a manhunt before he was eventually captured with the assistance of a front in the Oxbow Nature Conservancy behind the casino roughly two hours later.
Birdseye was found with a loaded gun, ammunition, and stolen cash that belonged to the casino. The bills were still bound by the casino’s wrappers.
One employee and two customers were injured while trying to escape the casino during the chaos of the robbery. Two women who were working at the casino that night testified against Birdseye and encouraged the judge to award the maximum penalty possible for his crimes.
“People like you don’t deserve a second chance,” said Erica Fryer, one of the two employees.
Birdseye later pleaded guilty to robbery with a deadly weapon. A jury also found him guilty of kidnapping, criminal confinement with a deadly weapon and three counts of intimidation with a deadly weapon.
Birdseye apologizes for actions
According to prosecutors, Birdseye was in debt and had lost money while gambling at the casino earlier on the day of the robbery. He also said that he was suicidal once he was booked into the Dearborn County Jail.
The perpetrator was placed in a special jail cell and stripped of his clothing and provided with a blanket for his own protection. A video from the jail showed that he asked officers to take him to the restroom, but Dearborn County Special Deputy Alan Hudepohl testified that Birdseye wouldn’t leave the cell, and he was forcibly moved.
Once the group got to the restroom, Birdseye threw punches and headbutts, several of which connected with the officers.
Birdseye apologized in court for his attack.
“I was offended by my actions and I pray for forgiveness,” he said.
Hollywood Casino — which offers live-dealer table games, slot machines, blackjack, roulette, and more amenities — installed a metal detector by its entrance shortly after the attack.
If Birdseye serves the maximum sentence, he will be released in 2076.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time that a firearm was weaponized at the Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg. In Oct. 2024, a man was shot dead by police after an exchange of gunfire. Police said the man was holding a knife at the time he was approached and fired several shots, leading to police responding in kind.
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