Stabbing Suspect is Sister of Poker Pro
A Montana woman who was arrested for stabbing a man is the sister of professional poker player Jesse Petrakis, PokerHelper.com has learned exclusively.
Sarah Petrakis, 22, of Butte, Montana, USA, was arrested last month and charged with assault with a weapon after an altercation at the Kingpin Lounge and Lanes, a combination bar and bowling alley in Butte.
Police said sometime around 5 a.m. on January 23, 2009, she became involved in an argument with a man inside the establishment, and when the argument spilled over into the parking lot, she stabbed the man in the chest with a knife.
The man was not seriously injured.
Police were called to the scene and arrested her and charged her with assault with a weapon, a felony that carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Shortly after being arrested, she posted bond and was released from custody.
The first court hearing on the case was scheduled for February 13, 2009, but was postponed, without a new date being set.
There was a poker game going on inside the bar/bowling alley when the argument started, and initial news reports in the Montana media indicated that she had been playing in the game.
She had not.
Last week, Sarah Petrakis contacted PokerHelper.com to give her side of the story.
Jesse Petrakis, who was playing in that poker game at the bar/bowling alley, also contacted PokerHelper.com last week.
Jesse Petrakis, who also lives in Butte but is originally from Napa, California, USA, has won a total of $14,784 in his short career playing tournament poker, according to tournament records.
A former poker dealer in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, he has finished in the money in seven poker tournaments in his career, including three tourneys at the 2006 World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Vegas, one of which was a dealers only tournament.
He has also operated card rooms in Montana, and is owner of a company called World Poker Solutions (www.worldpokersolutions.com), which, according to the company's website, provides, "poker dealing, poker research, tournament directing and hosting, card room management, poker cruises, poker charity events, poker seminars, professional staffing and equipment and card room consultation and licensing."
As for the stabbing and her subsequent arrest, Sarah Petrakis told PokerHelper.com: "I was not playing poker as some reports have said. The fight was between me and the bar owner and did not start or end in the poker room."
She continued: "He tried to take advantage of me and I defended myself. Why else would a 100-pound chick try to fight a man at least two times her size, unless she felt that she was going to be raped? I cannot say much more than that, but if you like I can update you when the case settles."
Jesse Petrakis told PokerHelper.com: "The person she stabbed dropped the charges. The bar owner was trashed and making passes at her, both verbally and physically.=A0She blew it off until what she thought was him crossing the line.=A0So she left pissed off.=A0He followed her out, not to pursue her but to make sure she was not driving and got home safely, as well to appologize."
He continued: "With her back turned and him placing his hands on her, she struck him, thinking he was after her.=A0 He grabbed ahold of her to calm her down and she mistook it for aggression. So she took out her knife and slashed at him to get him away, nicking him across the abdomen. The cops were called and the district attorney was forced to pursue the incident. Since then they both seem to agree it was a drunken night of misunderstandings."
Thomas Somach, www.pokerhelper.com
