Illinois: Riverton Man Sought in July Gaming-Terminal Burglary at Mama Lee’s Sandbar
- Sangamon County detectives have obtained an arrest warrant for a Riverton man in a July break-in that damaged video gambling terminals at Mama Lee’s Sandbar, the Sheriff’s Office said.
- Rathbone is wanted on charges of burglary and criminal damage to property.
- Deputies were called to the bar in the 6000 block of Mechanicsburg Road at about 3 a.m.
Sangamon County detectives have obtained an arrest warrant for a Riverton man in a July break-in that damaged video gambling terminals at Mama Lee’s Sandbar, the Sheriff’s Office said. The office announced the warrant for Troy W. Rathbone, 46, on Oct. 9, Capitol City Now reported.
Rathbone is wanted on charges of burglary and criminal damage to property. Detectives obtained the warrant on Oct. 7 after receiving new information, Fox Illinois reported, citing the Sheriff’s Office. As of the Oct. 9 reports, he was still being sought.
A forced door and two damaged machines
Deputies were called to the bar in the 6000 block of Mechanicsburg Road at about 3 a.m. on July 9, 2026. The front door had been forced open, and two gaming machines had been broken into, the Sheriff’s Office said.
J & J Ventures, which owns the machines, reported more than $40,000 in damage to the terminals. The reports did not say how much money, if any, was taken.
A first arrest in August
Detectives identified the suspect vehicle using Flock Safety license plate reader cameras, surveillance video provided by J & J Ventures and other evidence, the Sheriff’s Office said. That led them to Phillip J. Smith, 46, of rural Rochester.
Smith was arrested on Aug. 13 on charges of burglary, criminal damage to property and theft. He was released the following day under Illinois’ Pretrial Fairness Act, the law that ended cash bail in the state in 2023. His release does not mean the charges were dropped. Capitol City Now reported that the charges against him were not available in electronic court records on Oct. 9.
An arrest or an arrest warrant is not a finding of guilt.
GameEmpress has also covered gaming-machine break-ins in northern Illinois, including in Lake Villa and Green Oaks. The reports cited here do not identify a connection between those cases and the Sandbar burglary.
How to share information
Anyone who knows where Rathbone is can call the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office at 217-753-6666 or Sangamon and Menard County Crime Stoppers at 217-788-8427. Anonymous tips can also be sent through the Crime Stoppers website or the P3 app.
Featured image: Video lottery terminals in a bar. Illustrative image; not the location or equipment involved. Photo: Jason Woodhead / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
