In a surprising turn of events, a man facing charges for a violent attack on his wife managed to secure a World Series of Poker (WSOP) online bracelet on WSOP.com in Michigan last week.

Rudy Gavaldon, a 36-year-old resident of Traverse City, is currently awaiting trial in Grand Traverse County, Michigan for an alleged brutal incident that occurred on July 29, 2022. He faces serious felony charges of attempted murder and is also considered a habitual offender. In 2011, Gavaldon pleaded guilty to larceny in a building and third-degree home invasion, resulting in an 11-month jail sentence and 36 months of probation.

PokerNews reached out to the Grand Traverse Correctional Facility to verify Gavaldon’s custody status during the online bracelet event, and it was confirmed that he has been out on bail since August 2022, awaiting trial.

Rudy Gavaldon Emerges as MI Online Bracelet Winner

Under the same name, Gavaldon’s online poker account triumphed in WSOP.com’s Michigan online bracelet Event #3: $500 No-Limit Hold’em Turbo 6-Max, claiming a prize of $20,193 using the screen name “Flyheim86” (reflecting Gavaldon’s birth year of 1986). Notably, this victory occurred 11 months after his arrest and the charges of assaulting his wife, Lara Gavaldon.

For privacy reasons, WSOP.com refrains from disclosing personal information about winners, other than their name and place of residence. Therefore, the only details available were that the winner was Rudy Gavaldon from Traverse City, Michigan. A public records search confirmed that no other individual with the same name resides in the area.

This win follows Gavaldon’s notable performance just six days prior, where he achieved third place and a $2,858 cash prize in the WSOP Online Circuit Series Event #12: $20,000 NLH PKO 6-Max.

Poker Player Confronts Serious Charges

According to a police report, Gavaldon claimed to officers upon their arrival at the crime scene at 12:05 a.m. on July 30, 2022, that his wife required immediate medical attention as she was gravely injured. Responders discovered Gavaldon walking on the road while carrying their child. Meanwhile, his 28-year-old wife was found inside their home and transported to a nearby hospital. Due to the severity of her injuries, she was subsequently med-flighted to Grand Rapids Hospital, where her life was deemed to be in jeopardy. Gavaldon was apprehended and taken into custody.

The sheriff’s office announced that Gavaldon was “booked at the Grand Traverse County Jail for Assault with intent to commit murder” and that detectives were gathering evidence for further investigation.

A friend of the victim initiated a GoFundMe campaign to assist in covering medical expenses and lost wages resulting from the assault. Currently, the campaign has raised over $28,000, with a goal of reaching $50,000.

The case against Gavaldon, the alleged perpetrator of domestic violence, was scheduled for a pre-trial hearing on June 23 at the 13th District Court in Grand Traverse County. He was arraigned on June 9 and subsequently entered a plea of not guilty three days later.

Gavaldon’s online poker account also achieved a cash prize of $1,242, securing 10th place in a $500 no-limit hold’em Michigan online

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 28th, 2023 at 6:02 am and is filed under Poker News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

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