Lee Edward Morris, 38, was arrested by other sheriff's officers at a commercial location, 1063 E. 3300 South, along with four other alleged operators and five people described as "gamblers," Lt. Paul Jaroscak said.

Jaroscak said Thursday detectives initially had no idea that Morris - who is assigned to the Metro Gang Unit - was involved.

After learning Morris was part of the operation, "we continued the investigation until we were ready to make arrests, and that happened last night," Jaroscak said.

Morris was booked into the Davis County jail on suspicion of ongoing criminal activity, a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

Four other alleged operators were also arrested on similar felony counts. They are Angela McKown, 24, Lucas Lefevre, 33, Dennis E. Polster, 37, and Shawn Thompson, 33.

The five gamblers were cited for misdemeanor gambling and released.

Jaroscak said detectives seized chip holders, chips, tables and even surveillance cameras during the bust.

"It's an operation that could have been in place for years," he said. "We don't know how long [Morris] was involved."

The operation was in a strip mall and had no outward business front, Jaroscak said. "It was word-of-mouth; they were not advertising."

He said it was "disappointing" to discover Morris was part of the operation.

shunt@sltrib.com