By Pat Culverhouse

A Springhill man who apparently didn’t want to give up a stolen video poker machine is now sitting in the parish lockup facing a variety of charges that include battery on a police officer during his arrest.

Chief of Police Will Lynd said 65-year-old Ronald Glen Giddings is charged with interfering with a police investigation, two counts of possession of stolen things plus battery of an officer and resisting an officer.

Lynd said he and SPD Officer Charles Edgell conducted a search warrant of Giddings’ Coyle St. residence on Friday, March 8,  in reference to a burglary investigation.

“We asked Giddings if he had a poker machine sold to him, he stated ‘yes’ and pointed to the machine,” Lynd said. “I advised him it was stolen from a burglary and had to be seized and that he had received stolen property.”

Lynd said Giddings told him to give him $600 or he would not give up the machine. Giddings was then placed under arrest for interfering, but attempted to refuse Officer Edgell’s attempts to get him in custody. Once he was detained, Lynd said Giddings kicked the officer in the chest while being placed in the police unit.

While seizing the poker machine, police also discovered three pocket watches from an earlier burglary case. Giddings was transported to the Springhill jail and later transferred to Bayou Dorcheat Correctional Center, Lynd said.

This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.