Police: 2 arrested for breaking into Sioux Falls casinos

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - Two people are behind bars after authorities say they broke into a pair of Sioux Falls casinos over the weekend.

Twenty-eight-year-old Eugene Stark and 30-year-old Samantha Leonard, both of Sioux Falls, face several charges including grand theft and possession of stolen property.

Police spokesperson Sam Clemens said Stark and Leonard broke into a casino at the corner of E. Benson Road and Cliff Avenue around 4:20 a.m. Saturday. They pried open a couple of machines, but did not find any money, then left.

About a half hour later, Clemens said they broke into a casino at Valley View Road and W. 12th Street. They broke into several video lottery machines and stole some cash. Clemens did not have an exact amount of how much money they took, but he said it was over $1,000.

Investigators used surveillance footage from the casinos to identify the vehicle used in the burglaries. Clemens said an officer spotted the vehicle around 10:15 p.m. Saturday in a northwestern Sioux Falls neighborhood. Officers found Stark and Leonard inside the vehicle, along with cash, burglary tools, and clothing matching the clothes the suspects wore in the surveillance video.

Police took Stark and Leonard into custody. Clemens said both are also facing drug charges because police found a small amount of meth in the vehicle.