Gambling items seized at home in Brookfield

Case began with officer's suspicion of man's driving

Waukesha -- Authorities have seized gambling paraphernalia and $20,000 from a Brookfield home after an arrest on suspicion of drunken driving yielded a man with a large wad of money and an array of gaming materials, according to documents filed in court Monday.

Charles R. Zillmer was charged in Waukesha County Circuit Court with a third drunken driving offense, but City of Pewaukee police say he remains under investigation for commercial gambling as a result of seizures from him, his car and his home.

An inventory filed in Circuit Court by police says that among other things, officers seized hundreds of pull tabs, three slot machines and materials for football pools.

An affidavit filed by police to obtain a search warrant for Zillmer's home says the seizures followed Zillmer's arrest Thursday night in the City of Pewaukee.

The affidavit provides the following information:

A police officer on routine patrol began following a Cadillac driven by Zillmer, 50, after seeing the car weave from lane to lane as it headed east on county Highway M shortly before 6 p.m. The officer tried stopping the vehicle, but it continued eastbound until it reached the parking lot of a tavern on Springdale Road.

As Zillmer got out of his car, he clutched "a large amount of cash rolled up in his hand." All told, Zillmer had $3,700 in his hand and pockets as well as a check for $299.

After he failed several field sobriety tests, he was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving.

In Zillmer's car, police found "numerous 100-square football pools"; eight boxes of $1 pull tab lottery tickets, each containing 4,272 tickets; several 25-square Packers football pools costing $5 per square; playing cards; dice cups; dice; and "numerous 'Victory Lane Nascard' gambling boards," according to the affidavit.

Authorities said that a record check revealed Zillmer was arrested in 1991 for commercial gambling in Brookfield.

Police used the information from his drunken driving arrest to obtain a search warrant later Thursday from Waukesha County Circuit Judge Ralph Ramirez for Zillmer's home.

In addition to the gambling cards, slot machines and cash, police confiscated "gambling papers," a computer and computer components, a fax machine, a cell phone and "literature," according to the affidavit.

Pewaukee Sgt. Richard Ryman said he expected the district attorney's office to review the information on the seized items today.

Zillmer was released on a signature bond after appearing in Circuit Court on the drunken driving charge Tuesday afternoon.

Zillmer could not be located for comment Tuesday.

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