'Amarillo Slim' pleads guilty to assault

By BETH WILSON
beth.wilson@amarillo.com

Legendary poker player Thomas Austin "Amarillo Slim" Preston Jr. pleaded guilty Tuesday to three misdemeanor assault charges.

Preston received two years deferred adjudication and a $4,000 fine from 181st District Judge John Board.

In August, a Randall County grand jury indicted Preston on three felony counts of indecency with a child by contact.

The indictments listed three dates in early 2003 when Preston allegedly touched a 12-year-old girl.

The girl's mother alerted police in March and Preston was arrested and released on $5,000 bond Aug. 11.

Robert Templeton, Preston's attorney, said the felony charges were dropped.

"He had earlier taken polygraph tests, and the felony charges were dismissed," Templeton said. "The court said the proof on those charges failed. He pled guilty to three simple assault charges and not a sexual offense. After the term of probation has been served, the misdemeanor charges will be dismissed."

Kent Birdsong, assistant district attorney for Oldham County and special prosecutor in this case, said Preston also must pay for counseling for himself and the victim.

Preston won the World Series of Poker in 1972, and was inducted in the Poker Hall of Fame in 1992.

He pleaded guilty and paid a $5,000 fine in 1979 for a misdemeanor federal charge of failing to pay a special wagering tax, but a more serious charge of operating an illegal gambling business was dropped.

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