PENNSYLVANIA: Bike club members charged in Tarentum bar fight

OFF THE WIRE
A biker club member who allegedly used a padlock tied to a handkerchief as a weapon and two other "MOH" club members are facing charges after a weekend bar fight.

Tarentum police said a borough man and his brother walked into the restroom at Ziggy's, at 201 East Sixth Ave., early last Sunday.

Witnesses said suspect David Hodill, 28, of Prospect, and the other members of the Messengers of Honor club told the man and his friend to leave.

At about 1:30 a.m., the victim and his friend returned to the restroom.

This time, the brother heard a man say to the others, "Make me proud, son."

Then, as one of the club members locked the door behind the victim, Hodill and Shane Pence, 28, of Rural Valley, told the victim that "You got a problem, son," according to a police affidavit.

With that, police allege that Hodill hit the man with the large padlock swung from a handkerchief. Later, Hodill allegedly pulled a knife to threaten him.

The fight spilled over outside the restroom and two other men were punched by Hodill, Pence and club member Chad Goldstrom, 28, of Leechburg, police said.

When Tarentum and area police arrived, the victim was bleeding from his head.

Police say they found a lock and the blue handkerchief in Hodill's pocket.

They say Hodill had a loaded .22-caliber revolver and a knife in his pockets. Hodill had a permit for carrying a concealed handgun, according to police.

He is charged with aggravated assault, using the handkerchief and lock as a weapon and lesser charges.

Pence is charged with disorderly conduct and harassment for allegedly punching the victim's brother and another friend of the victim in the face.

He, too, had a permit to carry the 9mm pistol that he wore to the bar in a shoulder holster, police said.

Goldstrom was charged with disorderly conduct and harassment. Police said he was involved in the melee and had a switchblade in his pocket.

After making the arrests, police told the bartender to close.

Police said the Messengers of Honor biker club meets in a building just off the 800 block of Sixth Avenue in Brackenridge.

Police also said the club pays $15 monthly dues to The Outlaws Motorcycle Club for the right to wear a biker's patch and rocker, with the local club's name, below it. However, MOH members aren't members of The Outlaws, a so-called "one percenter" gang that has a history of crime and violence, police said.

Hodill posted a $20,000 bond. He was released pending a preliminary hearing that is tentatively scheduled for Aug. 17.

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