The following was written for Papyrus, the newsletter of the Egyptian Theater Foundation in Ogden, Utah. Written by foundation member Van Summerill in 2002:

[Continued] Hobnobbing with the Stars by Van Summerill

Spotlight was proud of his expensive jewelry, especially a large diamond ring he purchased in Chicago. A certified appraisal listed its value at about $7,500 in 1960’s dollars.

Perhaps the knowledge of his costly jewelry precipitated an attempted home robbery during which Spotlight was shot in the head below the ear. The assailant then panicked and dropped his weapon while escaping.

Amazingly, according to Stavrakakis, the thug. called King from a pay phone complaining he had lost his gun to which Spotlight indicated it was still at the crime scene. The thief returned to retrieve the pistol only to be arrested by waiting police whom Spotlight had summoned in the interim.

King then made another trip to the hospital where he recovered once again. Jim Stavrakakis remembers a scandalous incident involving Spotlight. It was alleged that King was holding gambling sessions in his home. Newspaper accounts allegedly reported his cut was 10 percent of the take. Spotlight vehemently denied the charges via a large newspaper ad he personally paid for.

…to be continued next week.