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Sunday, March 6, 2011

FBI-Led Raid on Hells Angels Clubhouse in Spokane, Wash.

OFF THE WIRE
Jennifer Wright,
Yahoo! Contributor Network
Thursday, in Spokane, Wash., a clubhouse of the Hells Angels was the target of a city FBI-led raid. This particular clubhouse for the Hells Angels is the Washington State headquarters for the motorcycle club.
The clubhouse on East Sprague and at least one home were the target of the search warrants. The search warrant is a city-wide search warrant and the Spokane police, Spokane County Sheriff's Department and the FBI SWAT team were involved in the raid.
Six men were cuffed and sat by the door of the club house while the search was conducted. Only one confirmed arrest was made today, Ricky Jenks, whose charges involved fire arms possession. The KHQ news said that more details on Ricky Jenks would be released on the evening news.
However, the Spokesman Review has several details about Jenks' previous charges since 2001. In 2001, Jenks and another man were arrested for the death of a man who was shot. Later he pleaded guilty to manslaughter and served a mere 21 months in prison. After he was released he was again arrested, this time for racketeering; in 2007, the jury could not reach a verdict for his case. He then pleaded guilty again and was given 16 months.
Jenks' probation says he cannot associate with the Hells Angels; he was found at the headquarters club when it was raided.
The motorcycle club, or gang if you prefer, has been under investigation for some time now but the actual charges being filed are still unknown. Even though the criminal charges are still unknown, agents say the investigation of gang activity that has been increasing over the past several months involves prostitution and drugs.
On KHQ, the local news channel, Spokane Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick said "We were going to take a strong stand against violence in this community. We are not going to allow gangs to breed and a motorcycle gang is as much a gang as any gang."
Other neighbors said that they were never bothered by the Hells Angels members. "We leave them alone and they leave us alone," one man stated.
Very near the E. Sprague location which was busted, the home of one of the Hells Angels was searched as well. KHQ stated that neighbors were more worried about the residential home being busted than they were about the clubhouse raid.
The KREM News website states that a third location was also a target for the search but no information will be released regarding that location because of it being an ongoing investigation.
Sources:
KHQ Channel 6, local news.