Three men are under arrest after police say they were caught stealing illegal bingo machines that had already been seized by state officials.

Brighton police Capt. Kenneth Hooten was patrolling in the 5000 block of Bessemer Super Highway in Thursday’s predawn hours when he noticed a large Metro rental truck outside Joker’s Bingo Hall.

Hooten, who is also the city’s assistant fired chief, stopped to investigate.

He found three men in the back of the truck with bingo machines insides.

“They were machines seized by the Attorney General’s Office,” Hooten said. “When I caught them, they were already out and closing the back of the truck down.”

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall last year shut down 10 illegal gaming businesses across Jefferson County including Brighton, Midfield, Lipscomb, Bessemer and unincorporated portions of the county.

In June, the AG’s Office shut down nearly a dozen more, and closed four businesses in Brighton, including Joker’s Bingo on Bessemer Super Highway. The machines, though seized by the state, remained inside the businesses.

Ke’Marlin Dewayne Black, 22, of Midfield, and Rashad Ahmad Brown, 44, of Brighton, are charged with first-degree theft of property and third-degree burglary.

Both were booked into the Jefferson County Jail Friday afternoon. Bond is set at $45,000 each.

A third suspect – Derick Lavert Crenshaw -has also been charged but he has not yet been booked into jail.

Hooten said what the suspects planned to do with the machines remains under investigation.