Lawrenceburg, Ind. December 18 2019 An Ohio man is being charged with bribery in Dearborn County after allegedly offering an officer thousands of dollars to release him from custody.

Travis M. Buerkle, 22, of Morrow, was arrested on December 4 and charged with Bribery (Level 5 Felony) and Disorderly Conduct (Class B Misdemeanor).

The charges stem from an incident at Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg.

According to a probable cause affidavit, Buerkle had a strong odor of alcohol on his breath. He was also allegedly abusive towards officers and security.

Police say Buerkle was not cooperative getting in to the patrol vehicle. He also declined to take a breathalyzer.

Buerkle was then transported to Highpoint Health to be medically cleared because the jail would not accept him without a preliminary breath test sample.

While at Highpoint Health, police say Buerkle began to yell and act aggressively towards officers and hospital staff. Police say he even tried to break a hospital bed that he was handcuffed to.

After being told he couldn’t make any phone calls at the time, Buerkle allegedly offered police $10,000 to release him from custody and not charge him with any crimes. Police say he upped the offer to $50,000.

According to court documents, Buerkle possessed around $23,000 that he won from Hollywood. He bragged that he won over $80,000 and that he was an “O.G. gangster from Cincinnati.

Buerkle bonded out of jail on December 6. He is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing in Dearborn Superior Court on January 7 at 11:00 a.m.

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