Hemet, CA - HEMET: Warrants link suspects to police attacks

OFF THE WIRE
Vagos MC
BY: JOHN ASBURY
Source: pe.com
The Press-Enterprise

Hemet police believe a man suspected of trying to kill an officer last year used a white supremacist weapons manual to manufacture two of the guns used in the attacks, according to search warrants released this week.




The search warrants were released after The Press-Enterprise filed a request to unseal the records in June. The newspaper sought the documents under the California penal code and First Amendment.



Two men, Nicholas John Smit, 40, and Steven Hansen, 37, are charged with attempting to murder a police officer by trying to fire a World War II-era bazooka training rocket at the Hemet police station last June.



In addition, Smit is charged in two other attacks in which homemade guns were rigged to fire at Hemet police officers. Smit faces eight felonies in all.



other attacks



The men are suspected in up to six other attacks and arsons between December 2009 and July 2010, but they have not been charged in any of the other incidents. Detectives believe the attacks were carried out to prevent an officer who arrested Smit on marijuana charges from testifying against him.



Both Smit and Hansen could face life in prison if convicted in the attacks. They are awaiting trial later this year.



According to the search warrants released this week, Detective Michael Elmore found a weapons guide called the "White Resistance Manual" on the website Whitehonor.org that explained how to make the homemade guns used in the attacks Smit is charged in, and a "Panji board" of nails used in another incident in which charges were not filed. That information was not available anywhere else online, the warrants say.



The warrants also say that an informant told police that Hansen's girlfriend asked the informant "if she knew any Vagos gang members that were willing to kill (Smit) in order to keep (Hansen) from becoming more involved in the attacks against the Hemet Police Department."



The Vagos Motorcycle Club has been identified by law enforcement as a criminal gang, which its members deny.



The four warrants sought permission to seek Smit's and Hansen's homes and cars. During the searches, police seized cell phones and computers and searched for evidence including DNA, shoe impressions, rope and tools like those found at the scene of several of the attacks.



The warrants were partially redacted to conceal personal information and to protect the identities of confidential informants.



Once the warrants are executed, they are presumptively public record, said Alonzo Wickers IV, an attorney for the newspaper. The newspaper is still seeking additional warrants in the case.



Thread of attacks



The attacks began in December 2009 when Hemet police Detective Chuck Johnson found the so-called Panji boards -- boards with nails sticking out of them -- "contaminated with fecal matter and glass shards," placed near his vehicles and surrounded by tripwires, according to the warrants.



On New Year's Eve 2009, the Hemet-San Jacinto Valley Gang Task Force building was filled with natural gas. On Feb. 23, an improvised zip gun fired a bullet at another officer who opened a gate at the same building.



The same type of gun was attached to the undercarriage of Johnson's unmarked police car at his home, but it fell off in a gas station parking lot March 5.



A series of arsons followed, including the torching of four Hemet city code enforcement trucks. The rocket -- the case in which both Smit and Hansen are charged -- was found after a June 3 fire on the roof of a downtown market. It was pointed toward the police station and had failed to go off, but had caught a pallet on fire.



In June, the warrants say, Hemet police detectives were contacted by a woman who said Hansen had come to her home asking how to get a rocket launcher. A person with Hansen told the informant that a man named "Schmidt," whom she later identified as Smit, had tried to launch a rocket at the Gang Task Force building but it malfunctioned.



Police said the woman had previously supplied false information about the attacks, but based on the tip, police began to investigate Smit's criminal record.



Sgt. Dave Quinn realized that each of the attacks coincided either on the day or within days of one of Smit's court dates on the marijuana charges, where Johnson was set to testify.



Shortly after, DNA found on some electrical tape on the homemade guns was matched to Smit. There were four DNA profiles found on the weapons in total. Police arrested both Smit and Hansen July 2 and searched their homes.



Other attack links



The search warrants outline how Smit and Hansen have been linked to attacks other than the three they are charged with. Prosecutors are still reviewing the case for possible additional charges before trial.



Smit was linked to an ongoing dispute with city code enforcement officers between June 28, 2009, and July 1, 2010. Police said that contact may be related to the March 23, 2010, torching of the trucks at Hemet City Hall.



Police believe the men may also be connected to a gun found July 6 on a Hemet police cruiser driven by Johnson, which was parked at the Hemet city yard. Though the device was discovered after their arrest, it appeared similar to the guns used in previous incidents.



Reach John Asbury at 951-763-3451 or jasbury@PE.com