2 armed intruders rob Tiffin poker game

TIFFIN — Al Elchert has been playing poker for years, but the game ended badly for his group recently. Two armed robbers, dressed in black and wearing ski masks and gloves, burst into his basement about 10:30 p.m. last Tuesday and demanded the group's money.

“We always thought everyone's honest and here come these masked bandits,” Mr. Elchert said. “One had a shotgun, one had a pistol. They threw a sack in the middle of the table and said, ‘Put everything in it.' We put everything in it.”

He said the intruders stayed only about a minute before fleeing through the backyard.

Tiffin Police Chief Dave LaGrange said officers recovered about $130 in cash that was dropped outside the house. No arrests have been made, “but we have some leads we're still working on,” he said yesterday.

Police theorize that the robbers were familiar with Mr. Elchert's house and knew that a poker game was under way in the basement.

Mr. Elchert said he doesn't usually lock the door during poker games until 11 p.m. or so, but he might be changing that practice.