Pool Hall Owner Charged With Intimidating Foes Of His Arcade

The owner of an all-night pool hall police shut down Friday was later arrested on charges of intimidating witnesses who testified against the business.

Madison Arcade owner Michael C. Brown, 36, was arrested Friday night, said police spokesman Dick Cottam.

Brown, who gave his address as 2123 E. Hartson Rd., was being held Saturday in the Spokane County Jail on a $100,000 bond. He has nine convictions that include drug possession, selling drugs, illegal sale of liquor and probation violations, Cottam said.

Police padlocked the front door to the 170 S. Madison Ave. business Friday about 6:30 p.m. Brown has until March 8 to move out of the building.

Superior Court Judge Michael Donohue ruled the pool hall a nuisance last week and ordered it closed. Police and some neighbors of the arcade worked together for eight months to build a civil nuisance case against the establishment.

Illegal drug activity in the neighborhood exploded after Brown opened the arcade in May 1995, they claimed.

Others defended Brown, saying police are picking on him because he is black and the son of Cassk Thomas, longtime owner of Sam’s Pit - a defunct barbecue restaurant closed because it was a drug haven.

, DataTimes