LAVONIA — Three men and two women are facing criminal charges after their arrests for commercial gambling in northeast Georgia.

Thomas Wright, 67, of Martin, Wanda Brown, 58, and Rickey Brown, 51, of Spartanburg, William Hilliard, 57, of Bowersville and Sheila Jones, 41, of Clarkesville were arrested after search warrants were served on Friday, and each was charged with a felony count of commercial gambling and a misdemeanor count of keeping a place of gambling, according to a press release from the Franklin County Sheriff's Office.

Bond hearings are expected today at the Franklin County Detention Center in Carnesville.

“The investigation revealed that the establishments were generating revenue by illegal gambling methods, which involved cash payouts,” according to the report.

The arrests were made after search warrants were served at Game Time on Ga. 77, Gold-n-Things on Concrete Road and The Variety Store on Ga. 59. All of the businesses are in the Lavonia area. Deputies and agents with the Northern Piedmont Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad seized numerous gambling devices, the report states.

Law enforcement officials made the arrests after a 2-month investigation, according to the release.

More arrest are expected, according to the sheriff's office.