MONROE - A jury trial was scheduled Tuesday, July 30, for a Monroe tavern owner accused of taking bets in a local gambling ring and using his bar as the exchange location for money won or owed.

Jeffrey "Twitty" Conway, 53, is set to begin a three-day trial by jury on Dec. 5.

His co-defendent in the case, Werner J. Rast, 51, Monroe, has a three-day jury trial scheduled to start next Wednesday, Aug. 8. Jury selection begins at 8:30 a.m.

Conway faces eight Class I felony charges of receiving commercial gambling bets and setting up a commercial gambling machine. Rast faces 10 similar charges.

The charges stem from a long-term state investigation into commercial gambling in Monroe that led first to the arrest of Rast and then to alleged gambling activity at Conway's business, Old Smokey's Bar, 1301 17th St.

The investigation began in 2007 and eventually linked Rast and Conway as ringleaders in the gambling operation, which reportedly involved taking thousands of dollars in wagers on college basketball and pro football games from dozens of area people, often under nicknames like "Yogi" or "Thunder," at a fee of 10 percent on all lost bets.

Both men have pleaded not guilty to the charges.