The first Saturday of each month there will be a BBQ at Sweetwater Harley Davidson in National City. from 11 AM -2 PM. They are an ABATE business member.
The first Sunday of each month there will be a breakfast there, from 8 AM- 11am, before the ABATE local 6 meeting.
1st Saturday BBQ -
Come join us this Saturday at Sweetwater H-D, on our 1st Saturday of the month BBQ. We will fire up the grill at 11:00am to get ready to serve you some burgers and dogs. Don't forget the goodies that go along with it:) DJ Wally will be spinning from 11 til 2.
Biker Breakfast - The first Sunday,
The surgeon general says,"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!" ... so come join Sweetwater Harley-Davidson and the Final Option MC for the return of the Sunday Biker Breakfast. Breakfast is from 8am to noon and your donation gets you two pancakes, two sausages and 2 eggs.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Here is a message from RC
OFF THE WIRE
Contacting Legislators
I will be contacting numerous legislators as will many friends and associates.
Below is message from RC that he will be attending meeting.
Rogue, just got in since sending note. Contacted Ryans office. Feel free to e-mail them any info you have. The meeting will be 12:30 Monday. I plan to be there
This has been a long time coming and we will stay on it until it is done.
Rogue
In this time of unemployment and scraping to get by maybe you are not aware that approx $250,000.00 dollars of your tax money is supposed to go to ABATE of Florida this year. Unless Representative Bryan Wilson can stop it. Now if you can count on one hand all the good things ABATE of Florida have done for you over the past years then disregard the rest of this note.
If however, if you think the expenditures of taxpayer monies on things like refrigerators, magnets and bumper stickers are waste of your money (remember the Purple and white look twice stickers are provided at no expense to the taxpayer by Mother on a Mission Diane Pearson) Then you may wish to write
Gina Herron
District Aide to
State Representative Bryan Nelson
District 38
Gina.Herron@myfloridahouse.gov
and Let Mr. Ryan know what you think. Representative Ryan will appearing at a Legislative committee meeting for the express purpose of finding out what is that ABATE of FLorida does that the state gives them money.
If you hadn't had the opportunity yet Stoop by Ms. Pearsons site above and see what one woman with courage an grit can do with no government help. Maybe even drop her a dollar or two and ask Representative Ryan to deduct it from charlatans.
--
rc
Let Freedom Reign
http://bigbendbikersforfreedom.com/
vote them all out
Contacting Legislators
I will be contacting numerous legislators as will many friends and associates.
Below is message from RC that he will be attending meeting.
Rogue, just got in since sending note. Contacted Ryans office. Feel free to e-mail them any info you have. The meeting will be 12:30 Monday. I plan to be there
This has been a long time coming and we will stay on it until it is done.
Rogue
In this time of unemployment and scraping to get by maybe you are not aware that approx $250,000.00 dollars of your tax money is supposed to go to ABATE of Florida this year. Unless Representative Bryan Wilson can stop it. Now if you can count on one hand all the good things ABATE of Florida have done for you over the past years then disregard the rest of this note.
If however, if you think the expenditures of taxpayer monies on things like refrigerators, magnets and bumper stickers are waste of your money (remember the Purple and white look twice stickers are provided at no expense to the taxpayer by Mother on a Mission Diane Pearson) Then you may wish to write
Gina Herron
District Aide to
State Representative Bryan Nelson
District 38
Gina.Herron@myfloridahouse.gov
and Let Mr. Ryan know what you think. Representative Ryan will appearing at a Legislative committee meeting for the express purpose of finding out what is that ABATE of FLorida does that the state gives them money.
If you hadn't had the opportunity yet Stoop by Ms. Pearsons site above and see what one woman with courage an grit can do with no government help. Maybe even drop her a dollar or two and ask Representative Ryan to deduct it from charlatans.
--
rc
Let Freedom Reign
http://bigbendbikersforfreedom.com/
vote them all out
California - Hells Angels arrested on drug charges in San Diego County raids
OFF THE WIRE
latimesblogs.latimes.com
Twenty-six members or associates of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang were arrested on drug charges during early morning raids Thursday by SWAT teams from the FBI and the San Diego and Oceanside police departments.
In addition to the 26 arrests, six people already in custody were charged and four suspects are considered fugitives, said Keith Slotter, special agent in charge of the FBI's San Diego office.
More than 250 law enforcement officers were involved in serving search and arrest warrants at 19 locations. During the searches, 10 firearms, thousands of dollars and several quantities of drugs were seized, officials said.
The suspects, charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, are set to be arraigned Friday in federal court.
latimesblogs.latimes.com
Twenty-six members or associates of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang were arrested on drug charges during early morning raids Thursday by SWAT teams from the FBI and the San Diego and Oceanside police departments.
In addition to the 26 arrests, six people already in custody were charged and four suspects are considered fugitives, said Keith Slotter, special agent in charge of the FBI's San Diego office.
More than 250 law enforcement officers were involved in serving search and arrest warrants at 19 locations. During the searches, 10 firearms, thousands of dollars and several quantities of drugs were seized, officials said.
The suspects, charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, are set to be arraigned Friday in federal court.
SAN DIEGO CA - Hell's Angels gang members arrested in raids throughout San Diego
OFF THE WIRE
760kfmb.com
An undisclosed number of alleged members and associates of the Hell's Angels outlaw motorcycle gang were arrested Thursday during raids around San Diego County, authorities reported.
About 250 local, state and federal law enforcement personnel, including SWAT teams, took part in the sweep beginning around 6 a.m., according to the FBI, which did not immediately disclose how many people were taken into custody or what type of criminal counts they were likely to face.
"Presently, the charging documents in this matter are sealed," FBI spokesman Darrell Foxworth said late this afternoon.
The suspects were to be booked into the Metropolitan Correctional Center in downtown San Diego and were expected to appear before a federal judge Friday afternoon, Foxworth said.
760kfmb.com
An undisclosed number of alleged members and associates of the Hell's Angels outlaw motorcycle gang were arrested Thursday during raids around San Diego County, authorities reported.
About 250 local, state and federal law enforcement personnel, including SWAT teams, took part in the sweep beginning around 6 a.m., according to the FBI, which did not immediately disclose how many people were taken into custody or what type of criminal counts they were likely to face.
"Presently, the charging documents in this matter are sealed," FBI spokesman Darrell Foxworth said late this afternoon.
The suspects were to be booked into the Metropolitan Correctional Center in downtown San Diego and were expected to appear before a federal judge Friday afternoon, Foxworth said.
Nevada - SPARKS, Nev. - Officials know who killed Hells Angel
OFF THE WIRE
bostonherald.com
The chief prosecutor in Reno says police have identified the rival gang member who killed the president of the Hells Angels’ San Jose chapter in a casino shootout last weekend, but he’s not sure they’ll track him down before rival bikers do.
Investigators identified the suspect from the beginning as a member of the Vagos motorcycle gang, Washoe County District Attorney Richard Gammick told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
The suspect, who has ties to the Bay Area, apparently has been in hiding since Jeffrey "Jethro" Pettigrew was killed in the gun battle late Friday at John Ascuaga’s Nugget hotel-casino in Sparks, Gammick said.
"If we’ve been able to identify him, there’s no doubt the Santa Clara Hells Angels chapter has been able to too," Gammick said. "He’s probably hiding out in a very small space."
Gammick declined to provide any more information about the suspect other than the fact he may not survive to stand trial in Reno if his revenge-minded rivals find him before law officers do.
"What do you think is going to happen if the Hells Angels get their hands on him?" Gammick said.
Pettigrew, who worked for the city of San Jose, Calif., transportation department, suffered gunshot and stab wounds to his torso and was pronounced dead a short time later at Renown Medical Center, Sparks police said.
Two Vagos members were wounded in the shootout and a third was shot in the stomach the next morning by a gunman in a passing car. Saturday’s shooting happened a few blocks from the Nugget and the town square where the 18th annual Street Vibrations motorcycle festival was held Friday and Saturday afternoon.
The mayor of Sparks canceled the event in his town Saturday night and declared a state of emergency amid fears the gang violence might continue.
Only one person has been arrested in connection with the shootout at the Nugget — a Hells Angels member who police said was with Pettigrew at the time of the altercation.
Cesar Villagrana, 36, Gilroy, Calif., is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday in Sparks Justice Court on three felony charges of assault with a deadly weapon, carrying a concealed weapon illegally and discharging a firearm within a structure.
Villagrana was arrested with a 9mm Smith and Wesson semi-automatic handgun that was reported stolen in Arizona in 1998, Sparks police said.
He has not been charged with actually shooting anyone, but he could be seen on the casino’s security video drawing the gun from his waistband and "actively firing into a crowd of uninvolved citizens, as well as rival motorcycle gang members," according to the formal criminal complaint Deputy District Attorney Karl Hall filed Wednesday.
Surveillance video also shows Pettigrew "punching a Vagos member and then drawing a handgun as well and ’pistol whipping’ several subjects just prior to the exchange of gunfire," the police report said. It said at least two casino patrons feared for their life and "had to hide under the craps table."
Villagrana was being held in the Washoe County Jail on Wednesday in lieu of $500,000 bond. He had been arrested in Gilroy in April and charged with possession of an unregistered handgun and participating in a criminal street gang, Sparks police said.
It was not clear if Villagrana has a lawyer. Hall said he had not been notified that he did, so he may be appointed a public defender at Thursday’s arraignment, most likely in a video conference between the court and the jail.
bostonherald.com
The chief prosecutor in Reno says police have identified the rival gang member who killed the president of the Hells Angels’ San Jose chapter in a casino shootout last weekend, but he’s not sure they’ll track him down before rival bikers do.
Investigators identified the suspect from the beginning as a member of the Vagos motorcycle gang, Washoe County District Attorney Richard Gammick told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
The suspect, who has ties to the Bay Area, apparently has been in hiding since Jeffrey "Jethro" Pettigrew was killed in the gun battle late Friday at John Ascuaga’s Nugget hotel-casino in Sparks, Gammick said.
"If we’ve been able to identify him, there’s no doubt the Santa Clara Hells Angels chapter has been able to too," Gammick said. "He’s probably hiding out in a very small space."
Gammick declined to provide any more information about the suspect other than the fact he may not survive to stand trial in Reno if his revenge-minded rivals find him before law officers do.
"What do you think is going to happen if the Hells Angels get their hands on him?" Gammick said.
Pettigrew, who worked for the city of San Jose, Calif., transportation department, suffered gunshot and stab wounds to his torso and was pronounced dead a short time later at Renown Medical Center, Sparks police said.
Two Vagos members were wounded in the shootout and a third was shot in the stomach the next morning by a gunman in a passing car. Saturday’s shooting happened a few blocks from the Nugget and the town square where the 18th annual Street Vibrations motorcycle festival was held Friday and Saturday afternoon.
The mayor of Sparks canceled the event in his town Saturday night and declared a state of emergency amid fears the gang violence might continue.
Only one person has been arrested in connection with the shootout at the Nugget — a Hells Angels member who police said was with Pettigrew at the time of the altercation.
Cesar Villagrana, 36, Gilroy, Calif., is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday in Sparks Justice Court on three felony charges of assault with a deadly weapon, carrying a concealed weapon illegally and discharging a firearm within a structure.
Villagrana was arrested with a 9mm Smith and Wesson semi-automatic handgun that was reported stolen in Arizona in 1998, Sparks police said.
He has not been charged with actually shooting anyone, but he could be seen on the casino’s security video drawing the gun from his waistband and "actively firing into a crowd of uninvolved citizens, as well as rival motorcycle gang members," according to the formal criminal complaint Deputy District Attorney Karl Hall filed Wednesday.
Surveillance video also shows Pettigrew "punching a Vagos member and then drawing a handgun as well and ’pistol whipping’ several subjects just prior to the exchange of gunfire," the police report said. It said at least two casino patrons feared for their life and "had to hide under the craps table."
Villagrana was being held in the Washoe County Jail on Wednesday in lieu of $500,000 bond. He had been arrested in Gilroy in April and charged with possession of an unregistered handgun and participating in a criminal street gang, Sparks police said.
It was not clear if Villagrana has a lawyer. Hall said he had not been notified that he did, so he may be appointed a public defender at Thursday’s arraignment, most likely in a video conference between the court and the jail.
Nevada - Arrest warrant issued for San Jose-area Vagos member in slaying of Hells Angels chapter president during Street Vibrations
OFF THE WIRE
Source: rgj.com
Sparks police on Thursday continued looking for the Vagos motorcycle club member charged in a warrant with the premeditated murder of a San Jose, Calif., Hells Angels chapter president during Street Vibrations.
An arrest warrant was issued late Wednesday for Vagos motorcycle club member Ernesto Manuel Gonzalez, who police say is responsible for the shooting death of Jeffrey “Jethro” Pettigrew, 51, last week. Gonzalez is being sought on a charge of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon. The warrant carries no bail.
Authorities say Gonzalez, 53, of the San Jose area, shot Pettigrew four times in the back at John Ascuaga’s Nugget.
The warrant said police found that Gonzalez had been a registered guest of the Nugget. His whereabouts are currently unknown, authorities said.
Also Thursday, one of Pettigrew’s fellow club members was arraigned on weapons charges related to shooting his gun Friday on the crowded Trader Dick’s dance floor at the Nugget during a struggle between the two biker clubs.
The slaying
Investigators said in court documents that they found seven .40-caliber bullet casings near Pettigrew, who was found on the ground of the dance floor. Pettigrew was shot four times in the back, police said, and also suffered stab wounds, court documents show.
The shooting caused the city of Sparks to cancel the remainder of its part of Street Vibrations and declare a 24-hour state of emergency so that extra resources could help monitor possible retaliatory violence.
Sparks police said a member of the Vagos club was shot in the stomach in a drive-by shooting while riding his motorcycle Saturday morning. They have not announced any suspects or confirmed whether it was a retaliatory crime linked to Hells Angels.
Sparks police have used video surveillance captured by the Nugget that showed the deadly encounter about 11:30 p.m. Friday at Trader Dick’s.
Pettigrew died at the hospital of gunshot and stab wounds to his torso, the affidavit said. Two Vagos members were also treated for gunshot injuries that were not life-threatening: Leonard Ramirez, of Garden Grove, Calif., and Diego Garcia, of San Jose. Ramirez was shot in the abdomen, and Garcia was wounded in the calf.
Source: rgj.com
Sparks police on Thursday continued looking for the Vagos motorcycle club member charged in a warrant with the premeditated murder of a San Jose, Calif., Hells Angels chapter president during Street Vibrations.
An arrest warrant was issued late Wednesday for Vagos motorcycle club member Ernesto Manuel Gonzalez, who police say is responsible for the shooting death of Jeffrey “Jethro” Pettigrew, 51, last week. Gonzalez is being sought on a charge of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon. The warrant carries no bail.
Authorities say Gonzalez, 53, of the San Jose area, shot Pettigrew four times in the back at John Ascuaga’s Nugget.
The warrant said police found that Gonzalez had been a registered guest of the Nugget. His whereabouts are currently unknown, authorities said.
Also Thursday, one of Pettigrew’s fellow club members was arraigned on weapons charges related to shooting his gun Friday on the crowded Trader Dick’s dance floor at the Nugget during a struggle between the two biker clubs.
The slaying
Investigators said in court documents that they found seven .40-caliber bullet casings near Pettigrew, who was found on the ground of the dance floor. Pettigrew was shot four times in the back, police said, and also suffered stab wounds, court documents show.
The shooting caused the city of Sparks to cancel the remainder of its part of Street Vibrations and declare a 24-hour state of emergency so that extra resources could help monitor possible retaliatory violence.
Sparks police said a member of the Vagos club was shot in the stomach in a drive-by shooting while riding his motorcycle Saturday morning. They have not announced any suspects or confirmed whether it was a retaliatory crime linked to Hells Angels.
Sparks police have used video surveillance captured by the Nugget that showed the deadly encounter about 11:30 p.m. Friday at Trader Dick’s.
Pettigrew died at the hospital of gunshot and stab wounds to his torso, the affidavit said. Two Vagos members were also treated for gunshot injuries that were not life-threatening: Leonard Ramirez, of Garden Grove, Calif., and Diego Garcia, of San Jose. Ramirez was shot in the abdomen, and Garcia was wounded in the calf.
Gonzalez, according to the arrest warrant, had approached two of his fellow Vagos on the dance floor, shaking their hands and hugging them. The alleged altercation with Pettigrew occurred with unidentified Vagos, but police said Gonzalez left the dance floor and came back 10 seconds later carrying a gun in his left hand.
Detectives noted in the arrest warrant that no other Vagos besides Gonzalez are seen in the video surveillance approaching the fight.
Citizens are seen on the surveillance footage ducking near the bar as if a succession of gunshots were being fired, the document said.
Gonzalez was then seen running from the dance floor, stuffing his gun in his waistband, the warrant said, adding that no other Vagos were shown on the footage leaving the area; they remained on the scene after the shooting.
Villagrana arraignment
Conduct depicted on the footage was also used as evidence to charge Hells Angels member Cesar Villagrana, 36, of Gilroy, Calif., with carrying a concealed weapon, assault with a deadly weapon and discharging a firearm into a structure.
During Villagrana’s arraignment Thursday morning in Sparks Justice Court, Justice of the Peace Susan Deriso ruled Villagrana must remain in Washoe County Jail in lieu of $500,000 cash bail. Deriso said she originally set his bail and believed it was appropriate given the facts of the case she had at the time.
“I guess I understand,” Villagrana told Deriso when she asked him if he understood the charges against him.
According to the warrant, Gonzalez was captured on video surveillance approaching the dance floor with a handgun drawn as two of his fellow Vagos club members were fighting with Pettigrew. Court records say Pettigrew was seen on video surveillance punching and pistol-whipping rival Vagos members.
According to a probable cause affidavit supporting Villagrana’s arrest, police said he was captured on video surveillance drawing a gun out of his waistband and “actively firing into a crowd of uninvolved citizens, as well as rival motorcycle club members known as ‘Vagos.’”
Detectives noted in the arrest warrant that no other Vagos besides Gonzalez are seen in the video surveillance approaching the fight.
Citizens are seen on the surveillance footage ducking near the bar as if a succession of gunshots were being fired, the document said.
Gonzalez was then seen running from the dance floor, stuffing his gun in his waistband, the warrant said, adding that no other Vagos were shown on the footage leaving the area; they remained on the scene after the shooting.
Villagrana arraignment
Conduct depicted on the footage was also used as evidence to charge Hells Angels member Cesar Villagrana, 36, of Gilroy, Calif., with carrying a concealed weapon, assault with a deadly weapon and discharging a firearm into a structure.
During Villagrana’s arraignment Thursday morning in Sparks Justice Court, Justice of the Peace Susan Deriso ruled Villagrana must remain in Washoe County Jail in lieu of $500,000 cash bail. Deriso said she originally set his bail and believed it was appropriate given the facts of the case she had at the time.
“I guess I understand,” Villagrana told Deriso when she asked him if he understood the charges against him.
According to the warrant, Gonzalez was captured on video surveillance approaching the dance floor with a handgun drawn as two of his fellow Vagos club members were fighting with Pettigrew. Court records say Pettigrew was seen on video surveillance punching and pistol-whipping rival Vagos members.
According to a probable cause affidavit supporting Villagrana’s arrest, police said he was captured on video surveillance drawing a gun out of his waistband and “actively firing into a crowd of uninvolved citizens, as well as rival motorcycle club members known as ‘Vagos.’”
The document said Villagrana was with Pettigrew for Street Vibrations.
Villagrana’s attorney from Las Vegas, Richard Schonfeld, asked Deriso for an Oct. 5 hearing to discuss lowering Villagrana’s bail. Schonfeld said the bail was too high for the charges and that Villagrana has no felony criminal history and has been caring for his ill mother in Gilroy, where he has lived for decades.
According to court records, Villagrana was arrested in April by police in his hometown of Gilroy for possession of an unregistered handgun and participating in a criminal street club. The disposition of that case was unknown.
Schonfeld said he would be defending Villagrana with his law partner, David Chesnoff, a celebrity attorney who regularly appears on national cable news shows. Both attorneys and local lawyer Scott Freeman represented millionaire pawn shop owner Darren Mack, who killed his wife and shot a judge, before Mack obtained new counsel.
Anyone with information on the Street Vibrations cases is asked to contact Secret Witness at 775-353-2225 or Secret Witness at 775-322-4900.
Villagrana’s attorney from Las Vegas, Richard Schonfeld, asked Deriso for an Oct. 5 hearing to discuss lowering Villagrana’s bail. Schonfeld said the bail was too high for the charges and that Villagrana has no felony criminal history and has been caring for his ill mother in Gilroy, where he has lived for decades.
According to court records, Villagrana was arrested in April by police in his hometown of Gilroy for possession of an unregistered handgun and participating in a criminal street club. The disposition of that case was unknown.
Schonfeld said he would be defending Villagrana with his law partner, David Chesnoff, a celebrity attorney who regularly appears on national cable news shows. Both attorneys and local lawyer Scott Freeman represented millionaire pawn shop owner Darren Mack, who killed his wife and shot a judge, before Mack obtained new counsel.
Anyone with information on the Street Vibrations cases is asked to contact Secret Witness at 775-353-2225 or Secret Witness at 775-322-4900.
Sparks, NV - Long History Of Violent Rivalry Led To Biker Shootings
OFF THE WIRE
Ed Pearce
kolotv.com
The two biker gangs involved in the fatal shooting during Street Vibrations in Sparks had a history of violent rivalry..
One person died, two were wounded when rival biker gangs, in town for the Street Vibrations motorcycle meet, traded shots on a casino floor.
.
According to law enforcement agencies, the shootings at John Ascuaga's Nugget shortly before midnight Friday and a possible retaliatory driveby shooting that followed were only the latest clashes in a long standing feud between two outlaw motorcycle gangs.
The Department of Justice which says both the Hells Angels and the Vagos outlaw motorcycle clubs have been involved in drug distribution and a variety of other crimes over the years and that activity has led to a violent rivalry.
The turf war between them erupted into gun fire last summer in a small rural community near Prescott, Arizona. Five were wounded, 27 were arrested.
Until Friday night other recent confrontations had apparently been limited to fist fights.
This incident started that way as well, but according to court documents casino security video apparently shows the fight escalating as Hells Angel San Jose Chapter Jeffrey "Jethro" Pettigrew pulled a handgun and began pistol whipping several people. Gun shots followed.
Police arrived to find Pettigrew and two Vagos members wounded and Hells Angel member Cesar Villagrano with his gun pointing into the crowd.
He surrendered and is facing several charges, the only person thus far charged in the incident.
Later another member of the Vagos was wounded in a nearby driveby shooting that police have yet to postively link to the earlier incident,
Pettigrew died of gunshot and stab wounds and is being mourned by friends and supporters in postings on the obituary page of Bay area newspapers and on an internet radio show where he was described as " a Hells Angel, but also someone's father, someone's son, someone's friend."
Bay area police spokesmen familiar with the two groups and the rivalry fear the shooting here will only fuel further violence.
Sparks Police say they were aware of the groups' history, but had no specific intelligence warning of an incident here.
At this point they say they are pouring over the casino video and hoping for more.
"We have witnesses and officers arriving on the scene who saw people taking pictures and video," says Sgt. Greta Woyciehowsky. "So we know it's out there."
Woyciehowsky says police have a means of keeping that information anonymous.
In addition Secret Witness has posted rewards for information leading to arrest and prosecution--$2,500 for the unsolved murder of Pettigrew and $2,000 for the driveby shooting.
Their number is 322-4900 or witnesses can text 847411, keyword S-W.
Callers may remain anonymous while collecting cash rewards.
Ed Pearce
kolotv.com
The two biker gangs involved in the fatal shooting during Street Vibrations in Sparks had a history of violent rivalry..
One person died, two were wounded when rival biker gangs, in town for the Street Vibrations motorcycle meet, traded shots on a casino floor.
.
According to law enforcement agencies, the shootings at John Ascuaga's Nugget shortly before midnight Friday and a possible retaliatory driveby shooting that followed were only the latest clashes in a long standing feud between two outlaw motorcycle gangs.
The Department of Justice which says both the Hells Angels and the Vagos outlaw motorcycle clubs have been involved in drug distribution and a variety of other crimes over the years and that activity has led to a violent rivalry.
The turf war between them erupted into gun fire last summer in a small rural community near Prescott, Arizona. Five were wounded, 27 were arrested.
Until Friday night other recent confrontations had apparently been limited to fist fights.
This incident started that way as well, but according to court documents casino security video apparently shows the fight escalating as Hells Angel San Jose Chapter Jeffrey "Jethro" Pettigrew pulled a handgun and began pistol whipping several people. Gun shots followed.
Police arrived to find Pettigrew and two Vagos members wounded and Hells Angel member Cesar Villagrano with his gun pointing into the crowd.
He surrendered and is facing several charges, the only person thus far charged in the incident.
Later another member of the Vagos was wounded in a nearby driveby shooting that police have yet to postively link to the earlier incident,
Pettigrew died of gunshot and stab wounds and is being mourned by friends and supporters in postings on the obituary page of Bay area newspapers and on an internet radio show where he was described as " a Hells Angel, but also someone's father, someone's son, someone's friend."
Bay area police spokesmen familiar with the two groups and the rivalry fear the shooting here will only fuel further violence.
Sparks Police say they were aware of the groups' history, but had no specific intelligence warning of an incident here.
At this point they say they are pouring over the casino video and hoping for more.
"We have witnesses and officers arriving on the scene who saw people taking pictures and video," says Sgt. Greta Woyciehowsky. "So we know it's out there."
Woyciehowsky says police have a means of keeping that information anonymous.
In addition Secret Witness has posted rewards for information leading to arrest and prosecution--$2,500 for the unsolved murder of Pettigrew and $2,000 for the driveby shooting.
Their number is 322-4900 or witnesses can text 847411, keyword S-W.
Callers may remain anonymous while collecting cash rewards.
AUSTRALIA - ABC journalist assaulted while covering drug raids
OFF THE WIRE
abc.net.au
Brennan later tweeted "Thank you for your concern... No journalist likes being part of the story".
Earlier, Brennan described the assault while she was covering the story: "He backhanded me across the face, he has taken the car keys out of the car, and he has gone back inside. We don't know what's happening now.
"He has just chased my cameraman down the street. We are going to wait and see and hope the police show up soon."
The news crew had been covering raids that targeted people with links to outlaw motorcycle gangs involved in the supply and production of the drugs GHB and methylamphetamine.
A total of 115 police officers exercised about 30 search warrants in simultaneous raids at the Gold Coast, Logan and Ipswich.
Witnesses at the exclusive Palm Meadows estate reported hearing up to 20 shots around dawn.
"There were flashes and smoke and things like that," one person said.
Thirty-four people have been arrested on nearly 200 drug-related and other charges.
Detective Inspector Garry Watts says two of the people arrested are known members of the Finks outlaw motorcycle gang and others have bikie links.
"We have made a serious and major dent in respect to a major criminal network operating on the Gold Coast," he said.
He says the operation, codenamed Ice Vulcan, found a Taser, 66 litres of a chemical used to make illicit drugs, and quantities of GHB and methylamphetamine.
abc.net.au
An ABC journalist has been assaulted while covering a series of drug raids across south-east Queensland today.
A man hit journalist Imogen Brennan and stole the keys to an ABC car at Mount Nathan near Nerang on the Gold Coast.Brennan later tweeted "Thank you for your concern... No journalist likes being part of the story".
Earlier, Brennan described the assault while she was covering the story: "He backhanded me across the face, he has taken the car keys out of the car, and he has gone back inside. We don't know what's happening now.
"He has just chased my cameraman down the street. We are going to wait and see and hope the police show up soon."
The news crew had been covering raids that targeted people with links to outlaw motorcycle gangs involved in the supply and production of the drugs GHB and methylamphetamine.
A total of 115 police officers exercised about 30 search warrants in simultaneous raids at the Gold Coast, Logan and Ipswich.
Witnesses at the exclusive Palm Meadows estate reported hearing up to 20 shots around dawn.
"There were flashes and smoke and things like that," one person said.
Thirty-four people have been arrested on nearly 200 drug-related and other charges.
Detective Inspector Garry Watts says two of the people arrested are known members of the Finks outlaw motorcycle gang and others have bikie links.
"We have made a serious and major dent in respect to a major criminal network operating on the Gold Coast," he said.
He says the operation, codenamed Ice Vulcan, found a Taser, 66 litres of a chemical used to make illicit drugs, and quantities of GHB and methylamphetamine.
Sheriffs call for immigration change in Mass. - Brazilian Fake licenses found
OFF THE WIRE
http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/south/12005485989267/sheriffs-call-for-immigration-change-in-mass/
Sheriffs call for immigration change in Mass.
Police: Stabbing suspect illegal, identity unclear Man held after deadly drunk driving crash in Milford WEYMOUTH, Mass -- A series of high profile crimes including a murder in Marshfield led to calls for changes to the state’s immigration laws. The suspect accused in the Marshfield killing was in the hospital Tuesday, while local sheriffs prepared to make their arguments on Beacon Hill.
The suspect in Monday’s murder in Marshfield remained at South Shore Hospital Tuesday and sources said he is an illegal immigrant, this as local sheriffs look to get tough on illegal immigrants who break the law.
The murder suspect had a fake Brazilian license. Immigration officials said that they had no record that Marcello Almeida entered the U.S. legally.
Authorities said they have dealt with him on the roads before. In April 2008 and November 2011 he was charged in Marshfield with unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. In Quincy he was charged with the same offense back in November 2008. In Scituate in 2011 he faced the same charge.
“Securing our borders, knowing who’s inside of our borders and knowing who’s committing illegal acts inside our borders, is something that is greatly needed,” Captain Phillip Tavares of the Marshfield Police said.
Many have wondered if a new federal program that reforms illegal immigration would have deported the Marshfield suspect before the crime was committed.
The program called “Secured Communities,” targets criminals. It trains officials including correctional officers in using specialized databases on illegal immigrants, including fingerprinting arrested suspects that are identified as illegal immigrants.
“In our facility they have been arrested so they have committed a crime and we don’t want them going out and victimizing people again. So we need to identify that they are not supposed to be here and if in fact they are not, we need to remove them from the country,” Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson said.
He said that alleged suspects of crimes would be flagged, including the illegal immigrant from Ecuador who was accused of driving drunk in August when he hit and killed a Milford man riding a motorcycle. Also, the illegal immigrant recently arrested in Boxboro and charged with drunk driving for the sixth time. He was also previously deported.
The ACLU of Massachusetts released a statement saying: “Secure Communities doesn’t make us any more secure because it doesn’t protect us from violent criminals -- they already get deported. Instead, S-Comm rounds up people who haven’t been convicted of any crime. It clogs jails and diverts resources from solving or stopping violent crime.”
Wednesday on Beacon Hill there will be three Sheriffs from different counties pushing for Secure Communities. In the meantime, another program may be implemented instead of Secure Communities. Come the end of 2013 this program will be implemented nationwide.
http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/south/12005485989267/sheriffs-call-for-immigration-change-in-mass/
Sheriffs call for immigration change in Mass.
Police: Stabbing suspect illegal, identity unclear Man held after deadly drunk driving crash in Milford WEYMOUTH, Mass -- A series of high profile crimes including a murder in Marshfield led to calls for changes to the state’s immigration laws. The suspect accused in the Marshfield killing was in the hospital Tuesday, while local sheriffs prepared to make their arguments on Beacon Hill.
The suspect in Monday’s murder in Marshfield remained at South Shore Hospital Tuesday and sources said he is an illegal immigrant, this as local sheriffs look to get tough on illegal immigrants who break the law.
The murder suspect had a fake Brazilian license. Immigration officials said that they had no record that Marcello Almeida entered the U.S. legally.
Authorities said they have dealt with him on the roads before. In April 2008 and November 2011 he was charged in Marshfield with unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. In Quincy he was charged with the same offense back in November 2008. In Scituate in 2011 he faced the same charge.
“Securing our borders, knowing who’s inside of our borders and knowing who’s committing illegal acts inside our borders, is something that is greatly needed,” Captain Phillip Tavares of the Marshfield Police said.
Many have wondered if a new federal program that reforms illegal immigration would have deported the Marshfield suspect before the crime was committed.
The program called “Secured Communities,” targets criminals. It trains officials including correctional officers in using specialized databases on illegal immigrants, including fingerprinting arrested suspects that are identified as illegal immigrants.
“In our facility they have been arrested so they have committed a crime and we don’t want them going out and victimizing people again. So we need to identify that they are not supposed to be here and if in fact they are not, we need to remove them from the country,” Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson said.
He said that alleged suspects of crimes would be flagged, including the illegal immigrant from Ecuador who was accused of driving drunk in August when he hit and killed a Milford man riding a motorcycle. Also, the illegal immigrant recently arrested in Boxboro and charged with drunk driving for the sixth time. He was also previously deported.
The ACLU of Massachusetts released a statement saying: “Secure Communities doesn’t make us any more secure because it doesn’t protect us from violent criminals -- they already get deported. Instead, S-Comm rounds up people who haven’t been convicted of any crime. It clogs jails and diverts resources from solving or stopping violent crime.”
Wednesday on Beacon Hill there will be three Sheriffs from different counties pushing for Secure Communities. In the meantime, another program may be implemented instead of Secure Communities. Come the end of 2013 this program will be implemented nationwide.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. - Attorney for alleged Hells Angels member seeks personnel records of sheriff, sergeant
OFF THE WIRE
BY: Elizabeth Larson
lakeconews.com
The attorney for a Sonoma County man charged in connection with a June fight between rival motorcycle gang members is seeking access to the personnel records of Lake County's sheriff and other agency staffers, alleging political motivations in the case's handling.
BY: Elizabeth Larson
lakeconews.com
The attorney for a Sonoma County man charged in connection with a June fight between rival motorcycle gang members is seeking access to the personnel records of Lake County's sheriff and other agency staffers, alleging political motivations in the case's handling.
Oakland attorney Michael Clough filed the Pitchess motion for the personnel records of Sheriff Frank Rivero and Sgt. John Gregore, lead investigator in the case, on Sept. 12.
Clough represents 33-year-old Nicolas Carrillo of Santa Rosa, arrested in August for a June 4 fight at Konocti Vista Casino outside of Lakeport.
The Sept. 12 filing leaves open the possibility of other sheriff's staffers being added to the list of individuals whose records Clough wants to access.
“It's possible that we will file additional Pitchess motions as we get additional discovery,” said Clough. “We anticipate that there's going to be a substantial amount of discovery and motions in the case.”
Clough's Pitchess motion is scheduled to be heard on Oct. 17 in Lake County Superior Court.
County Counsel Anita Grant, whose office represents the sheriff's office in the matter, said the county will fight the attempt to delve into the men's records.
Carrillo – along with fellow Sonoma County residents Timothy Bianchi, Joshua Johnson and David Dabbs – is alleged to be Hells Angels members who participated in the beating of a member of the rival Vagos motorcycle gang, according to the original sheriff's report in the case.
In the wake of his arrest for the Lake County case, Josh Johnson was just recently arrested by the FBI, according to Peter Lee of the FBI's San Francisco office. However, Lee could not offer Lake County News further information about the arrest.
The District Attorney's Office previously reported that charges against Carrillo include felony participation in a criminal street gang, misdemeanor fighting in public, misdemeanor battery and several special allegations relating to the infliction of great bodily injury and the participation in a criminal street gang.
Clough wants information about any complaints filed against Rivero alleging violations of civil and constitutional rights, selective enforcement or prosecution and bias against the Hells Angels, as well as any evidence of “providing or authorizing subordinate officers to release false and/or misleading information about pending investigations to the media” as well as “use of office to conduct politically motivated investigations.”
He's seeking similar information for Gregore, as well as evidence of mishandling or failing to disclose evidence, submitting unreasonable requests for excessive bail, preparation of false or incomplete reports, and false or perjured testimony.
Other information of interest to Clough is anything that would support allegations that the Lake County Sheriff's Office, the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office and the FBI selectively targeted members of the Sonoma County Hells Angels chapter for investigation and prosecution, and if there was a conspiracy to violate the chapter members' civil rights.
The goal is to find information favorable to Carrillo's defense that would impeach the testimony of prosecution witnesses at trial, according to the document.
Pitchess motions are based on a 1974 California Supreme Court case, Pitchess v. Superior Court, and have since been included in the California Evidence Code.
A Pitchess motion is based on the theory that a defendant in a criminal case should have any information that could help their defense, including information about potential misconduct in an arresting officer's personnel files.
The right of a defendant to have that information is balanced against a peace officer's rights to maintain the privacy of his or her personnel file. California law has firm protections to guard peace officers in such cases.
Grant, whose office has received the motion, said they will respond as the county always does in such cases.
The county always and “without exception” responds to Pitchess motions, Grant said, due to concerns that are described in case law as “fishing expeditions.”
The legal definition of a “fishing expedition” describes open-ended attempts to get information, and overly broad, unfocused questioning that is not within the case's scope.
The county has fought previous attempts to open peace officer records, including one lodged in 2009 during the trial of Bismarck Dinius, who was acquitted in a fatal boating crash.
Dinius was steering a sailboat hit in 2006 by a motorboat driven by an off-duty sheriff's deputy, Russell Perdock. Dinius' attorney sought Perdock's records through a Pitchess motion, which both county counsel and Perdock's attorney successfully fought.
Carrillo's case is continuing to move forward, with a preliminary hearing still to take place.
Bail in Carrillo's case was set at $500,000, which Clough had argued in court filings was excessive. He asked to have it reduced to $75,000.
Clough said in his motion that Carrillo has never been charged with a violent criminal offense before this case, and his only conviction on record is for driving on a suspended license.
Clough argued that it appeared that Carrillo's Hells Angels membership led to the high bail, and if that's the case it violates Carrillo's constitutional right to freedom of expression and equal protection.
The filings in the case also reference a May 14 event during which the Vagos visited Lakeport. That same day, county law enforcement received information from an FBI agent claiming that a group of Hells Angels members were en route to the county to confront the Vagos.
Rivero sent a group of deputies to the Middletown area in case the Hells Angels appeared. It's alleged that he was planning to turn the Hells Angels back if they arrived, which Rivero has denied, stating instead in an investigative report that he planned to put in place a roadblock in order to engage in contact with the bikers.
Possible civil rights violations in the case remain under investigation by the Lake County District Attorney's Office.
Rivero has continued to voice concern over the rival gangs and their activities, sending an e-mail to local media and county leaders over the weekend referencing a news story about a fight and shootout between the two groups that claimed the life of a California Hells Angels leader in a casino in Sparks Nev., on Sept. 23.
A subsequent e-mail from Rivero informed county leaders that there is a statewide law enforcement alert from the US Marshals Service on possible retaliatory actions because of the gang shooting.
Pennsylvania - true colors: Cops vs. Pagan's
OFF THE WIRE
Jason nark & William Bender
philly.com
NO POLICE officer who's old enough to remember will ever forget the Mudman. It was May 6, 1995, when paroled murderer Robert "Mudman" Simon, a member of the Warlock Motorcycle Club, executed police Sgt. Ippolito Gonzalez on the side of a road, during a traffic stop in Gloucester County. The grizzled hell-raiser was later stomped to death during a battle on death row.
Nowadays, officers also have to worry about lawsuits when they pull over a "one-percenter" - a way bikers describe themselves as the 1 percent of the population that doesn't follow the rules.
Biker gangs might have a well-deserved reputation, but one local attorney who represents several clubs, including the Pagan's, says that "reputation" isn't a valid reason for a traffic stop.
"Some of this tension between the cops and the bikers is because the cops hassle them all the time," said Norristown attorney Boyd Spencer, who represents the Eastern Pa. Confederation of Clubs.
Spencer is representing three bikers in a civil-rights lawsuit stemming from a July 30, 2009, traffic stop involving six motorcycles in Burlington County. Two of the defendants, James Coles and Louis DeGailler, are Pagan's MC members, and the third defendant, Joseph Ballinger, was a Tribe MC member at the time.
According to the complaint, the bikers were ticketed for not having approved helmets and were told to remove their "colors," the patched jackets members wear. The whole traffic stop, which lasted more than an hour, was captured by mounted cameras in the police cruisers.
"Now you're all going to take your jackets off, because on this highway, these are the only colors," one of the state troopers, referring to State Police blue and gold, told the group after nearly 50 minutes had passed.
The bikers didn't budge.
None of them took off his colors. The helmets were later found to be legal, and a prosecutor dismissed the charges. Spencer, who said the demand to take off their colors was out of bounds, chalks up the traffic stop to harassment.
The state has filed a motion to have the lawsuit dismissed.
Spencer said he always hears about bikers' getting harassed.
"I've got a guy in Upper Darby who gets pulled over every time he goes out on his bike," he said.
Upper Darby police Superintendent Michael Chitwood Sr. said bikers get pulled over if they break traffic laws, like anyone else. Police keep tabs on them, though.
"These operations have become very sophisticated. They know what their rights are and what the police can do," he said.
Upper Darby also has reason to be on edge about one-percenters. In 2002, one of their own, Officer Dennis McNamara, was shot and killed by former Pagan Thomas James "Tom Thumb" Campbell.
Jason nark & William Bender
philly.com
NO POLICE officer who's old enough to remember will ever forget the Mudman. It was May 6, 1995, when paroled murderer Robert "Mudman" Simon, a member of the Warlock Motorcycle Club, executed police Sgt. Ippolito Gonzalez on the side of a road, during a traffic stop in Gloucester County. The grizzled hell-raiser was later stomped to death during a battle on death row.
Nowadays, officers also have to worry about lawsuits when they pull over a "one-percenter" - a way bikers describe themselves as the 1 percent of the population that doesn't follow the rules.
Biker gangs might have a well-deserved reputation, but one local attorney who represents several clubs, including the Pagan's, says that "reputation" isn't a valid reason for a traffic stop.
"Some of this tension between the cops and the bikers is because the cops hassle them all the time," said Norristown attorney Boyd Spencer, who represents the Eastern Pa. Confederation of Clubs.
Spencer is representing three bikers in a civil-rights lawsuit stemming from a July 30, 2009, traffic stop involving six motorcycles in Burlington County. Two of the defendants, James Coles and Louis DeGailler, are Pagan's MC members, and the third defendant, Joseph Ballinger, was a Tribe MC member at the time.
According to the complaint, the bikers were ticketed for not having approved helmets and were told to remove their "colors," the patched jackets members wear. The whole traffic stop, which lasted more than an hour, was captured by mounted cameras in the police cruisers.
"Now you're all going to take your jackets off, because on this highway, these are the only colors," one of the state troopers, referring to State Police blue and gold, told the group after nearly 50 minutes had passed.
The bikers didn't budge.
None of them took off his colors. The helmets were later found to be legal, and a prosecutor dismissed the charges. Spencer, who said the demand to take off their colors was out of bounds, chalks up the traffic stop to harassment.
The state has filed a motion to have the lawsuit dismissed.
Spencer said he always hears about bikers' getting harassed.
"I've got a guy in Upper Darby who gets pulled over every time he goes out on his bike," he said.
Upper Darby police Superintendent Michael Chitwood Sr. said bikers get pulled over if they break traffic laws, like anyone else. Police keep tabs on them, though.
"These operations have become very sophisticated. They know what their rights are and what the police can do," he said.
Upper Darby also has reason to be on edge about one-percenters. In 2002, one of their own, Officer Dennis McNamara, was shot and killed by former Pagan Thomas James "Tom Thumb" Campbell.
Canada - Bureaucrats back biker bar
OFF THE WIRE
RANDY RICHMOND
lfpress.com
(QMI Agency file photo)
BATTLING BIKERS: Booze watchdog derails bid to hit outlaw gangs in the cash register..
Ontario's effort to bring down outlaw bikers with a bit of bureaucracy has been derailed - by the same bureaucracy.In a test case, a two-member board of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) rejected the arguments from the commission's own registrar and the top biker cop in the province and sided instead with a leading member of the Hells Angels motorcycle club.
Even though the Hells Angels is a criminal organization, and even though Rob Barletta, a former London chapter president and current member, must follow the gang's rules, he has the right to a liquor licence for his strip club, Famous Flesh Gordon's, the board ruled.
"The board was presented with no evidence to doubt that Mr. Barletta has submitted all required taxes and documentation, maintained a lawful establishment, conducted business with honesty and integrity and fulfilled all the obligations of a licensee," the board ruled.
The AGCO registrar was trying to use a combination of a relatively new Supreme Court ruling and Ontario's Liquor Licence Act to hit bikers where they hurt -- in the cash registers of their bars.
The Supreme Court ruled in 2010 the Hells Angels are a criminal organization.
The Liquor Licence Act bars anyone getting a licence if their "past or present conduct" suggests they won't carry on business with "integrity and honesty."
The AGCO registrar argued Barletta could not conduct his business with honesty and integrity while being a member of a criminal organization.
The registrar backed up its evidence with testimony from Det. Sgt. Len Isnor, head of of the OPP biker enforcement unit, that as Hells Angels leader, Barletta must have "a good criminal network" and be "prepared to resort to violence."
But Barletta has no criminal record and there has been no evidence of violence or criminal activity at his bar, the board heard.
The board agreed Barletta probably knew about criminal activities of his fellow gang members.
But many people know about friends or family member's illegal acts and keep their own counsel, the board ruled.
"In other words, this kind of behaviour alone is insufficient to indict one's integrity," the board said.
The hearing for Famous Flesh Gordon's concluded in spring and the decision was released last Thursday.
After this case, the AGCO was going to go after the Beef Baron strip club in London, owned by a Barletta family member.
That hearing is on hold until the AGCO registrar reviews the Famous Flesh Gordon decision and considers an appeal, said an ACGO spokesperson.
AUSTRALIA - Police strike against Comancheros
OFF THE WIRE
BY: Doug Robertson
adelaidenow.com.au
Drugs, guns and money siezed in the Comanchero bikie raids. Pic: Brenton Edwards
SA police are targeting the Comanchero motorcycle gang to prevent it establishing a "chapter" of the club.
Police yesterday raided 34 properties linked to the fledgling SA Comanchero's chapter, which is struggling to set up a clubhouse in the eastern suburbs of Adelaide.
Crime Gangs Task Force officers arrested 10 Comanchero members and associates and seized thousands of dollars in cocaine, amphetamines, cannabis, steroids and illegal firearms in raids across Adelaide.
Detectives arrested three "patched" Comancheros, one believed to be the Sergeant at Arms, and reported one more male member among nine men and a woman charged with a range of drugs, firearms and unlawful cash possession offences.
Police also seized a crossbow, flick knife, illegal batons, bayonets, electric stun guns and $135,000 cash, which they said they suspected was connected to drug sales.
Seized firearms included a .357 calibre revolver, a .45 pistol, a .22 pistol, a .25 semi-automatic handgun, one with a silencer and laser sight, and four rifles plus ammunition.
"This is extremely worrying because it's quite apparent these weapons are possessed for no other reason than to commit offences," Assistant Commissioner (Crime) Grant Stevens said.
"The Comancheros are a club which was not previously based in South Australia (but) there are clear intentions for them to do so.
"This is a message to them ... we will confront them with an ongoing police effort as we do with all (bikie gangs). We are aware of their intentions to establish a clubhouse and we're monitoring their activities in that regard and I can't comment any further on that."
The Comancheros are based mostly in the eastern states and 10 members stood trial over the bashing murder of Hell's Angel Anthony Zervas, 29, in a wild brawl at Sydney Airport in 2009.
Several former New Boys street gang members including Vince Focarelli and Michael Syfris joined the notorious outlaw bikie gang late last year.
Less than a dozen Comancheros are believed to be in SA, but Mr Stevens said: "There are clearly people who are choosing to be associated with the club".
Those arrested were being interviewed by detectives and those reported will be summonsed to appear in court later.
AUSTRALIA - Police arrest 37 in bikie drug crackdown
OFF THE WIRE
A POLICE operation spanning nine months targeting bikie gangs and illicit drugs has ended today with 14 Gold Coasters arrested.
Operation Ice Vulcan began in January and Taskforce Hydra has claimed it as one of their biggest successes to date.
More than 200 charges have been laid against 37 people from the Gold Coast, Logan and Ipswich.
Detective Inspector Garry Watts confirmed it was the Finks Motorcycle Club at the centre of the investigation.
''Two of the people arrested are Finks members and the rest are known associates,'' he said.
The 14 Gold Coasters charged will appear in Southport Magistrates Court tomorrow.
Today, police executed more than 30 search warrants at residential and business premises located on the Gold Coast, Logan and Ipswich.
During the search police allegedly seized 66 litres of precursor chemicals, GHB, methylamphetamine, glassware, a taser and an amount of money.
"We are committed to seeking out and prosecuting those involved in this type of criminal activity and continue to implement strategies to minimise both the threat OMCGs pose to the community and the risk of drugs like GHB and methylamphetamine reaching our streets," said Insp Watts.
The ABC journalist covering the operation, Imogen Brennan, was reportedly hit in the face by a man at Mount Nathan, near Nerang, and the keys of an ABC car stolen.
Brennan later tweeted, "Thank you for your concern. No journalist likes being part of the story".
But Insp Watts said he had no knowledge of the incident, or the address.
"It's my understanding that no one was assaulted at any of the locations that we actually executed search warrants on today," he said.
A police officer was treated for a cut to the hand caused by broken glass.
Police raids are ongoing and further charges are expected as investigations continue.
Preliminary charges from today's raids:
A 37-year-old female from Carrara has been charged with trafficking in a dangerous drug, sell/supply a dangerous drug and will appear in the Southport Magistrates Court tomorrow.
A 29-year-old man from Carrara has been charged with trafficking in a dangerous drug, sell/supply a dangerous drug, possession of a dangerous drug, possess weapon and 7 disqualified driving charges. He will appear in the Southport Magistrates Court tomorrow.
A 24-year-old man from Mt Warren Park has been charged with sell/supply dangerous drug and will appear in the Beenleigh Magistrates Court tomorrow.
A 43-year-old man from Loganlea has been charged with trafficking in a dangerous drug, sell/supply a dangerous drug and will appear in the Beenleigh Magistrates Court tomorrow.
A 41-year-old man from Loganholme has been charged with trafficking in a dangerous drug, sell/supply a dangerous drug and will appear in the Beenleigh Magistrates Court tomorrow.
A 35-year-old man from Nerang has been charged with sell/supply a dangerous drug and will appear in the Southport Magistrates Court tomorrow.
A 40-year-old man from Ipswich has been charged with trafficking in dangerous drug, sell/supply dangerous drug, possession of a dangerous drug, possess property suspected stolen and will appear in the Southport Magistrates Court tomorrow.
A 31-year-old woman from Loganlea has been charged with trafficking in a dangerous drug, produce dangerous drug, sell/supply dangerous drug and will appear in the Beenleigh Magistrates Court tomorrow.
A 31-year-old man from Loganlea has been charged with produce dangerous drug, possession of a dangerous drug and will appear in the Beenleigh Magistrates Court tomorrow.
A 38-year-old woman from Mermaid Waters has been charged with possession of a dangerous drug, sell/supply a dangerous drug, knowingly participate in prostitution, identity fraud and will appear in the Southport Magistrates Court tomorrow.
A 38-year-old woman from Burleigh has been charged with traffic in a dangerous drug, possession of a dangerous drug, sell/supply a dangerous drug, unlawful prostitution, fraud, attempted fraud and will appear in the Southport Magistrates Court tomorrow.
A 36-year-old woman from Nerang has been charged with sell/supply a dangerous drug, possession of a dangerous drug and will appear in the Southport Magistrates Court tomorrow.
A 37-year-old from Carrara has been charged with trafficking in a dangerous drug, sell/supply a dangerous drug, produce dangerous drug and will appear in the Southport Magistrates Court tomorrow.
A 30-year-old man currently on remand for unrelated charges has been issued with a Notice to Appear for trafficking in a dangerous drug, sell/supply a dangerous drug and produce dangerous drug. He is scheduled to appear in the Southport Magistrates Court on November 7.
Further charges are expected this afternoon.
http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2011/09/28/353121_gold-coast-lead-story.html
A POLICE operation spanning nine months targeting bikie gangs and illicit drugs has ended today with 14 Gold Coasters arrested.
Operation Ice Vulcan began in January and Taskforce Hydra has claimed it as one of their biggest successes to date.
More than 200 charges have been laid against 37 people from the Gold Coast, Logan and Ipswich.
Detective Inspector Garry Watts confirmed it was the Finks Motorcycle Club at the centre of the investigation.
''Two of the people arrested are Finks members and the rest are known associates,'' he said.
The 14 Gold Coasters charged will appear in Southport Magistrates Court tomorrow.
Today, police executed more than 30 search warrants at residential and business premises located on the Gold Coast, Logan and Ipswich.
During the search police allegedly seized 66 litres of precursor chemicals, GHB, methylamphetamine, glassware, a taser and an amount of money.
"We are committed to seeking out and prosecuting those involved in this type of criminal activity and continue to implement strategies to minimise both the threat OMCGs pose to the community and the risk of drugs like GHB and methylamphetamine reaching our streets," said Insp Watts.
The ABC journalist covering the operation, Imogen Brennan, was reportedly hit in the face by a man at Mount Nathan, near Nerang, and the keys of an ABC car stolen.
Brennan later tweeted, "Thank you for your concern. No journalist likes being part of the story".
But Insp Watts said he had no knowledge of the incident, or the address.
"It's my understanding that no one was assaulted at any of the locations that we actually executed search warrants on today," he said.
A police officer was treated for a cut to the hand caused by broken glass.
Police raids are ongoing and further charges are expected as investigations continue.
Preliminary charges from today's raids:
A 37-year-old female from Carrara has been charged with trafficking in a dangerous drug, sell/supply a dangerous drug and will appear in the Southport Magistrates Court tomorrow.
A 29-year-old man from Carrara has been charged with trafficking in a dangerous drug, sell/supply a dangerous drug, possession of a dangerous drug, possess weapon and 7 disqualified driving charges. He will appear in the Southport Magistrates Court tomorrow.
A 24-year-old man from Mt Warren Park has been charged with sell/supply dangerous drug and will appear in the Beenleigh Magistrates Court tomorrow.
A 43-year-old man from Loganlea has been charged with trafficking in a dangerous drug, sell/supply a dangerous drug and will appear in the Beenleigh Magistrates Court tomorrow.
A 41-year-old man from Loganholme has been charged with trafficking in a dangerous drug, sell/supply a dangerous drug and will appear in the Beenleigh Magistrates Court tomorrow.
A 35-year-old man from Nerang has been charged with sell/supply a dangerous drug and will appear in the Southport Magistrates Court tomorrow.
A 40-year-old man from Ipswich has been charged with trafficking in dangerous drug, sell/supply dangerous drug, possession of a dangerous drug, possess property suspected stolen and will appear in the Southport Magistrates Court tomorrow.
A 31-year-old woman from Loganlea has been charged with trafficking in a dangerous drug, produce dangerous drug, sell/supply dangerous drug and will appear in the Beenleigh Magistrates Court tomorrow.
A 31-year-old man from Loganlea has been charged with produce dangerous drug, possession of a dangerous drug and will appear in the Beenleigh Magistrates Court tomorrow.
A 38-year-old woman from Mermaid Waters has been charged with possession of a dangerous drug, sell/supply a dangerous drug, knowingly participate in prostitution, identity fraud and will appear in the Southport Magistrates Court tomorrow.
A 38-year-old woman from Burleigh has been charged with traffic in a dangerous drug, possession of a dangerous drug, sell/supply a dangerous drug, unlawful prostitution, fraud, attempted fraud and will appear in the Southport Magistrates Court tomorrow.
A 36-year-old woman from Nerang has been charged with sell/supply a dangerous drug, possession of a dangerous drug and will appear in the Southport Magistrates Court tomorrow.
A 37-year-old from Carrara has been charged with trafficking in a dangerous drug, sell/supply a dangerous drug, produce dangerous drug and will appear in the Southport Magistrates Court tomorrow.
A 30-year-old man currently on remand for unrelated charges has been issued with a Notice to Appear for trafficking in a dangerous drug, sell/supply a dangerous drug and produce dangerous drug. He is scheduled to appear in the Southport Magistrates Court on November 7.
Further charges are expected this afternoon.
http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2011/09/28/353121_gold-coast-lead-story.html
Lawsuit Challenges Nevada's Motorcycle Helmet Law
OFF THE WIRE
By Calvert Collins, Reporter
By Calvert Collins, Reporter
LAS VEGAS -- In Nevada, anyone riding a motorcycle or moped is required to wear a helmet. Bikers have been forced to wear a helmet since 1972 and there have been many attempts to repeal the law.
Twelve plaintiffs filed a lawsuit Tuesday alleging the helmet law is arbitrarily enforced and that they have been discriminated against based on the helmets they wear. They blame the cities of Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson, Boulder City and Mesquite and their police departments for the disparity in enforcement.
Experts say who gets pulled over can be subjective.
"Is law enforcement targeting a certain group of motorcyclists? Who knows? It's down to the street level -- one guy enforcing, another guy lets somebody pass," said helmet expert Fred Harrell with Las Vegas Harley Davidson.
"Some officers choose to just give a warning, hoping the person will understand the importance of why they got pulled over. Other times they feel the citation is warranted and it will happen," said Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Loy Hixson.
There have been attempts to repeal the helmet law. A Republican state senator from Sparks introduced the bill in four prior legislative sessions, but it failed in committee. This year, it passed one committee and died in another.
So far this year, NHP reports there have been 34 motorcycle fatalities: 19 in Clark County and 13 in Metro's jurisdiction.
That attorney and plaintiffs who filed the lawsuit declined comment for this story.
Two wheels.... and... just watch and enjoy!~
Two wheels.... and... just watch and enjoy!~
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=Cj6ho1-G6tw&vq=medium
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=Cj6ho1-G6tw&vq=medium
CALIFORNIA - Helmet Bill AB 695
OFF THE WIRE
AB 695 modifies the current helmet law to allow
riders the right to choose whether to wear a helmet or not if they are over 18 and have either
1.) completed a motorcycle training program (that complies with section 2932) or 2.) Have been issued a class M1 license or endorsement, or a comparable license from another jurisdiction, for two years or more.
Want to read the whole bill ? Check
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/bilinfo.html
AB 695 modifies the current helmet law to allow
riders the right to choose whether to wear a helmet or not if they are over 18 and have either
1.) completed a motorcycle training program (that complies with section 2932) or 2.) Have been issued a class M1 license or endorsement, or a comparable license from another jurisdiction, for two years or more.
Want to read the whole bill ? Check
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/bilinfo.html
Man fatally shot near motorcycle club in Oakland,Ca
OFF THE WIRE
The victim, identified as 40-year-old Hassan Sayyid, was a member of the East Bay Dragons Motorcycle Club. Police say they don't know the motive, but there's little doubt that Sayyid was targeted.
Friends of Sayyid gathered outside the East Bay Dragons Motorcycle Club Wednesday morning to mourn their loss. There were candles and flowers for the man they called 'Stuttering Ike,' and amid the candles and flowers, there was outrage.
"I know the people around here loved him," said friend Tiffany P. "He used to see my children. He'd give them money. He'd say hello to us. He'll make sure (that we're) okay. I don't know what happened, I don't understand it."
Police say the shooting happened shortly after 9:30 p.m. Tuesday.
"The information that we have so far in the investigation tells us that our victim was seated in the garage area of the clubhouse sitting around with friends when the suspect approached on foot," said Ofc. Johnna Watson with the Oakland Police Department. "Suspect blatantly opened fire on our victim and then fled the scene on foot."
Sayyid later died at a hospital.
Although there were witnesses, police are not releasing a description of the suspect at the moment and are looking into eyewitness accounts that the suspect wore a mask.
"Ike (was) a person that smiled all the time and laughed," said friend Sharolyn Stevenson. "He stuttered, made jokes."
On May 29, two people were shot to death and a third person wounded near the same motorcycle club. Police are still investigating those killings. Police say there is quite a bit of violence on International Boulevard near the club, but the club itself was not a focal point of Tuesday's violence.
"He did not deserve to die," Tiffany said. "It's a black-on-black crime. It has to stop. It's sad."
Police say they are still investigating the incident. If anyone has any information, they are asked to call Oakland Police Department's Major Crimes Section at 510-238-3821.
OAKLAND (KGO) -- An Oakland community is outraged and grieving after a deadly shooting outside a motorcycle club where a popular club member was killed.
The victim, identified as 40-year-old Hassan Sayyid, was a member of the East Bay Dragons Motorcycle Club. Police say they don't know the motive, but there's little doubt that Sayyid was targeted.
Friends of Sayyid gathered outside the East Bay Dragons Motorcycle Club Wednesday morning to mourn their loss. There were candles and flowers for the man they called 'Stuttering Ike,' and amid the candles and flowers, there was outrage.
"I know the people around here loved him," said friend Tiffany P. "He used to see my children. He'd give them money. He'd say hello to us. He'll make sure (that we're) okay. I don't know what happened, I don't understand it."
Police say the shooting happened shortly after 9:30 p.m. Tuesday.
"The information that we have so far in the investigation tells us that our victim was seated in the garage area of the clubhouse sitting around with friends when the suspect approached on foot," said Ofc. Johnna Watson with the Oakland Police Department. "Suspect blatantly opened fire on our victim and then fled the scene on foot."
Sayyid later died at a hospital.
Although there were witnesses, police are not releasing a description of the suspect at the moment and are looking into eyewitness accounts that the suspect wore a mask.
"Ike (was) a person that smiled all the time and laughed," said friend Sharolyn Stevenson. "He stuttered, made jokes."
On May 29, two people were shot to death and a third person wounded near the same motorcycle club. Police are still investigating those killings. Police say there is quite a bit of violence on International Boulevard near the club, but the club itself was not a focal point of Tuesday's violence.
"He did not deserve to die," Tiffany said. "It's a black-on-black crime. It has to stop. It's sad."
Police say they are still investigating the incident. If anyone has any information, they are asked to call Oakland Police Department's Major Crimes Section at 510-238-3821.
Denmark - Biker gangs on welfare
OFF THE WIRE
Tax authority says bikers are living the lush life while exploiting the welfare system
Some 593 members of biker gangs received 29,570,110 kroner in public assistance, in the form of cash benefits, disability and sick pay in the first six months of this year, according to recent numbers from the tax service, Skat.
Skat’s special gang unit was unsurprised by the latest numbers.
“In our experience, we can see when we are out investigating them that bikers aren’t interested in getting jobs,” Vagn Pedersen, Skat’s gang unit leader told the tabloid B.T.
“It’s generally the kind of macho culture where they like to show off, but at the same time they’re not afraid to ask for public help. So, if we can see that they have other valuables, like cars, motorcycles or big, gold chains, then these welfare benefits are one of the places where, with the help of the councils, we can stop the money from flowing,” Pedersen added.
Skat is currently working with 78 of the country’s 98 councils to determine the extent of welfare fraud involving gang members. Skat calculates that bikers and members of other criminal gangs received some 48,362,336 kroner in combined welfare benefits in the first half of 2011.
One thing Skat and other experts are sure of is that the proportion of bikers and other gang members on the dole is far higher than for the population at large.
“If you take their age and sex into account, there is no doubt that they are overrepresented [on the welfare lists] in comparison with the general population,” sociologist and Justice Ministry researcher Christian Klement told B.T.
Klement’s own earlier research showed that while eight percent of law-abiding citizens received cash welfare benefits, 27 percent of bikers and gang members did.
“One explanation is that bikers, in particular, exploit social systems. But I believe that the primary reason is that these people are simply socio-economically disadvantaged,” Klement said. “We know very well that where you have socio-economically disadvantaged people, you typically have a larger proportion of criminals
Feds arrest numerous Bandido motorcycle club members
OFF THE WIRE
Federal authorities have arrested almost 40 members and associates of the Bandidos on a variety of federal drug and weapons charges; 28 of those arrested were charged in Dallas with conspiracy to possess and distribute heroin, methampetamine, and cocaine. There was also one person charged with possessing a machine gun.
All arrests took place on Monday and Tuesday in the Dallas area; however, one individual was arrested in San Francisco.
In relation to this ongoing investigation, 8 were charged in Denver with conspiracy and possessing meth and cocaine; 6 were arrested in the Denver area; 1 was already in custody, and 1 remains on the run.
Three were arrested on assorted drug charges in San Antonio.
The FBI claims it infiltrated the North Texas Bandido network in 2009, sending an undercover agent to finance a motorcycle repair shop, turn one member of the group into an informant and gather evidence against others.
Making machine guns for survivalists, purchasing smoke grenades and taking a three-year-old girl along to buy meth in a parking lot are among the activities described in criminal complaints.
Most of the North Texas charges were for conspiracy to distribute meth, cocaine or heroin. The arrested have nicknames like "Mexican Joe," "Leatherneck Sniper" and "Sarge." They are as young as 23, as old as 61, and live in Fort Worth, Arlington and other cities.
Nearly half of those arrested face up to life in prison if convicted.
Below is the Department of Justice's full roster of arrested individuals along with the charges pending against them:
Six federal complaints have been partially unsealed as to the defendants arrested. Some of the defendants are charged in more than one complaint. All those arrested locally are expected to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey L. Cureton, beginning Wednesday afternoon at the Parker County Jail in Weatherford.
http://www.examiner.com/motorcycles-in-dallas/feds-arrest-numerous-bandido-motorcycle-club-members#ixzz1ZFyS5jTm
The first complaint charges numerous individuals with conspiring, from August 30 to September 19, 2011, to possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin. Individuals charged and in custody on this complaint include:
John Pena Medellin, aka "Papa John" and "Uncle John," 61, of Fort Worth, Tx.
Deanna Renae Medellin, 41, of Fort Worth
Jason Alfred Martinez, 32,of Fort Worth
Yreneo Joseph Lujano, aka "Mexican Joe," 42, of Keller, Tx.
Rogerio Mata, aka "Roy," 54
Martin Ortega, Jr., aka "Koke," 51, of Fort Worth
Vanessa Ponce, 32, of Fort Worth
Misty Louise Castoreno, 33, of Fort Worth
Travis Presley, 58, of Fort Worth
Mark Anthony Coronado, 44, of Fort Worth
Rudy Aguiano, aka "Big Rudy," 46, of Fort Worth
Christopher Kinsey, aka "Bandido Skinny," 34, of Jacksboro, Tx.
David Gregory Richmond, 37, of Abilene, Tx.
Cynthia Carden Holliday, 44, of Abilene
According to this complaint, John Pena Medellin is the President and founder of the Los Homeboys motorcycle gang which is affiliated with the BOMG. The BOMG uses Los Homeboys and John Medellin and his associates as a supply source for heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine.
The second complaint also charges numerous individuals with conspiring, from June 1, 2009, to the date of this complaint, to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Individuals charged and in custody in this complaint include:
Kenneth Marshal Holcomb, aka "Kenny," 29, of Fort Worth
Christopher Ray Kinsey, aka "Bandido Skinny," 34, of Jacksboro
Erin Myshea Hartzell-Kinsey, aka "Erin" and "Shay" (phonetic), 29, of Jacksboro
Alexander James Baker, aka "Alex," 24
A third complaint charges individuals with conspiring, beginning on June 22, 2007, and continuing until the date of the complaint, to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Individuals charged and in custody in this complaint include:
Daniel Patrick Moore, aka "Danny," 50, of Hurst, Tx.
James Paul Pope, aka "Pokey," 56, of Arlington, Tx.
Morgan Clifford Wood, aka "Roca Mick," 31, of Arlington, Tx.
A fourth complaint charges individuals with conspiring, from January 1, 2010 to the date of the complaint, to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. Individuals charged and in custody on this complaint include:
Christopher Ray Kinsey, aka "Bandido Skinny," 34, of Jacksboro
Timothy Richie Love, aka "Leatherneck Sniper," 39, of Burleson, Tx.
William Hoover Hill, aka "Bandido Will" and "Opie," 23, of Fort Worth
Bryan Gerald Vincent, aka "Highlander Freebird," 44, of San Francisco, Ca.
A fifth complaint charges individuals with conspiring, from January 1, 2010, to the date of this complaint, to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. Individuals charged and in custody on this complaint include:
Gerardo Gomez, Jr., aka "Bandido Junior Ray," 29
Jason Earl Morris, aka "Sarge," 33
The sixth complaint charges one individual, who is in custody, with possessing a machine gun in January 2011:
Benjamin Edward Neuner, aka "Rebel Rider Ben," 58, of Alvarado, Texas
The complaint states that Neuner provided numerous firearms, laser sights and ammunition to the BOMG, including firearms he had altered to obscure the ballistic information of any bullet that might be fired from the firearm.
http://www.examiner.com/motorcycles-in-dallas/feds-arrest-numerous-bandido-motorcycle-club-members#ixzz1ZFyS5jTm
Federal authorities have arrested almost 40 members and associates of the Bandidos on a variety of federal drug and weapons charges; 28 of those arrested were charged in Dallas with conspiracy to possess and distribute heroin, methampetamine, and cocaine. There was also one person charged with possessing a machine gun.
All arrests took place on Monday and Tuesday in the Dallas area; however, one individual was arrested in San Francisco.
In relation to this ongoing investigation, 8 were charged in Denver with conspiracy and possessing meth and cocaine; 6 were arrested in the Denver area; 1 was already in custody, and 1 remains on the run.
Three were arrested on assorted drug charges in San Antonio.
The FBI claims it infiltrated the North Texas Bandido network in 2009, sending an undercover agent to finance a motorcycle repair shop, turn one member of the group into an informant and gather evidence against others.
Making machine guns for survivalists, purchasing smoke grenades and taking a three-year-old girl along to buy meth in a parking lot are among the activities described in criminal complaints.
Most of the North Texas charges were for conspiracy to distribute meth, cocaine or heroin. The arrested have nicknames like "Mexican Joe," "Leatherneck Sniper" and "Sarge." They are as young as 23, as old as 61, and live in Fort Worth, Arlington and other cities.
Nearly half of those arrested face up to life in prison if convicted.
Below is the Department of Justice's full roster of arrested individuals along with the charges pending against them:
Six federal complaints have been partially unsealed as to the defendants arrested. Some of the defendants are charged in more than one complaint. All those arrested locally are expected to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey L. Cureton, beginning Wednesday afternoon at the Parker County Jail in Weatherford.
http://www.examiner.com/motorcycles-in-dallas/feds-arrest-numerous-bandido-motorcycle-club-members#ixzz1ZFyS5jTm
The first complaint charges numerous individuals with conspiring, from August 30 to September 19, 2011, to possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin. Individuals charged and in custody on this complaint include:
John Pena Medellin, aka "Papa John" and "Uncle John," 61, of Fort Worth, Tx.
Deanna Renae Medellin, 41, of Fort Worth
Jason Alfred Martinez, 32,of Fort Worth
Yreneo Joseph Lujano, aka "Mexican Joe," 42, of Keller, Tx.
Rogerio Mata, aka "Roy," 54
Martin Ortega, Jr., aka "Koke," 51, of Fort Worth
Vanessa Ponce, 32, of Fort Worth
Misty Louise Castoreno, 33, of Fort Worth
Travis Presley, 58, of Fort Worth
Mark Anthony Coronado, 44, of Fort Worth
Rudy Aguiano, aka "Big Rudy," 46, of Fort Worth
Christopher Kinsey, aka "Bandido Skinny," 34, of Jacksboro, Tx.
David Gregory Richmond, 37, of Abilene, Tx.
Cynthia Carden Holliday, 44, of Abilene
According to this complaint, John Pena Medellin is the President and founder of the Los Homeboys motorcycle gang which is affiliated with the BOMG. The BOMG uses Los Homeboys and John Medellin and his associates as a supply source for heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine.
The second complaint also charges numerous individuals with conspiring, from June 1, 2009, to the date of this complaint, to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Individuals charged and in custody in this complaint include:
Kenneth Marshal Holcomb, aka "Kenny," 29, of Fort Worth
Christopher Ray Kinsey, aka "Bandido Skinny," 34, of Jacksboro
Erin Myshea Hartzell-Kinsey, aka "Erin" and "Shay" (phonetic), 29, of Jacksboro
Alexander James Baker, aka "Alex," 24
A third complaint charges individuals with conspiring, beginning on June 22, 2007, and continuing until the date of the complaint, to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Individuals charged and in custody in this complaint include:
Daniel Patrick Moore, aka "Danny," 50, of Hurst, Tx.
James Paul Pope, aka "Pokey," 56, of Arlington, Tx.
Morgan Clifford Wood, aka "Roca Mick," 31, of Arlington, Tx.
A fourth complaint charges individuals with conspiring, from January 1, 2010 to the date of the complaint, to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. Individuals charged and in custody on this complaint include:
Christopher Ray Kinsey, aka "Bandido Skinny," 34, of Jacksboro
Timothy Richie Love, aka "Leatherneck Sniper," 39, of Burleson, Tx.
William Hoover Hill, aka "Bandido Will" and "Opie," 23, of Fort Worth
Bryan Gerald Vincent, aka "Highlander Freebird," 44, of San Francisco, Ca.
A fifth complaint charges individuals with conspiring, from January 1, 2010, to the date of this complaint, to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. Individuals charged and in custody on this complaint include:
Gerardo Gomez, Jr., aka "Bandido Junior Ray," 29
Jason Earl Morris, aka "Sarge," 33
The sixth complaint charges one individual, who is in custody, with possessing a machine gun in January 2011:
Benjamin Edward Neuner, aka "Rebel Rider Ben," 58, of Alvarado, Texas
The complaint states that Neuner provided numerous firearms, laser sights and ammunition to the BOMG, including firearms he had altered to obscure the ballistic information of any bullet that might be fired from the firearm.
http://www.examiner.com/motorcycles-in-dallas/feds-arrest-numerous-bandido-motorcycle-club-members#ixzz1ZFyS5jTm
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Russell Fitzgerald Apologizes For Bra Trick At Public Meeting
ABINGTON, Mass. -- The chairman of the school committee in Abington, Mass., is apologizing for a magic trick he performed before a televised meeting this week in which he appeared to tear the bra off a fellow committee member through her clothes.
The trick was performed Tuesday by Russell Fitzgerald, an amateur magician known to open meetings with a little sleight of hand. It was met with stunned silence.
He says he is sorry for the embarrassment he caused committee member Ellen Killian and his unwitting accomplice, teacher Steve Shannon. He also says he will no longer perform tricks before meetings.
Killian says she was shocked. The teachers' union says in a statement that Shannon was unaware of the trick Fitzgerald planned.
___
LAS VEGAS - BikeFest organizers stress safety of event after Reno shootout
OFF THE WIRE
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/sep/29/bikefest-organizers-stress-safety/
BikeFest organizers stress safety of event after Reno shootout
Kyle Hansen
Brian Wilson, from Canada, takes a photo of some of the motorcycles on display at the 2009 Las Vegas BikeFest.
By Jackie Valley (contact)
Thursday, Sept. 29, 2011 | 2 a.m.
Sun Archives Motorcycle enthusiasts revved up for Las Vegas BikeFest (10-3-09) Motorcyclists headed to town this weekend for the 11th Las Vegas BikeFest are bringing more than leather, chrome and heavy metal thunder with them, organizers of the event say.
They’re coming with cash, too, and plenty of it. These motorcyclists aren’t your stereotypical rough-and-tumble bikers, organizers said, but rather are doctors, lawyers and other professionals — the majority of whom are in their 40s and 50s.
“You have to have money to buy a motorcycle,” said Mindi Cherry, vice president of ConvExx, event management for BikeFest.
Even so, the fatal shootout between rival biker gangs in Sparks last Friday isn’t lost on BikeFest organizers. The gunfire inside John Ascuaga’s Nugget killed a California Hells Angels boss and wounded two members of the Vagos Motorcycle Club, sparking a retaliatory drive-by shooting several hours later.
In response, BikeFest organizers posted the following message on the event’s website Sunday:
“While we were disappointed to hear of the incident that occurred earlier this week in Sparks, Las Vegas BikeFest will not let it dampen the festivities that will be occurring several hundred miles away in Las Vegas beginning this Thursday. Las Vegas BikeFest has never had an incident in its 10 years, and we work closely with law enforcement and our own private security detail to provide a safe event for all attendees.”
Beyond that, BikeFest officials declined to comment about increased safety measures.
Metro Police spokesman Marcus Martin said the department is boosting officers’ presence in the festival’s two main hubs: Cashman Center, where the event’s 200-plus vendors will be housed, and the Fremont Street Experience area.
“We’ve been fortunate compared to the Reno and Laughlin (festivals),” Martin said. “We’re going to do our best to keep the event safe like in years past.”
Shaun Ruddy, who owns Phat Choppers in Australia and works at Arlen Ness Motorcycles in Las Vegas, said BikeFest defies biker stereotypes and is a “very professionally run event.”
“Unfortunately, there’s a very small number of incidents that get all the headlines when the good things don’t,” he said. “What they see is a shooting as opposed to 30,000 people having a good time.”
The allure of Las Vegas is what brings many bike enthusiasts to the event — about 80 percent who come from out of town, Cherry said. This year’s BikeFest includes attendees from 19 countries, she added.
Ruddy said the scene inside the Arlen Ness showroom Wednesday solidified that point: “I could look around the store and pick out six or seven (customers) not from the U.S.”
Not one of the customers was younger than 50, Ruddy said
“They tend to have enough money where they can afford to take a week off work and come to Vegas,” he said.
The Golden Nugget serves as the event’s check-in center with most events downtown at Cashman Center and several locations on the Strip, including the Harley-Davidson Café and the Mirage.
For Saturday’s Poker Run, bikers participate in a scavenger hunt of sorts, traveling to various locations across the city to pick up playing cards. The best hand wins the top prize, $7,500.
BikeFest also features the Artistry in Iron Master Builder’s Championship — a peer-judged event among custom bike builders — as well as a sports bike freestyle stunt show, which is new this year, Cherry said.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority estimates BikeFest will pump $8 million into the city’s economy based on previous attendance records, LVCVA spokesman Jeremy Handel said.
Ruddy said he hopes the recent shooting in Sparks doesn’t deter people from coming and feeling safe at Las Vegas BikeFest, an event he always has regarded as one of the best.
“In all reality, you’re probably 100 times more likely to get killed on your motorcycle coming to an event than shot at one,” he said.
Parties at Buffalo Bill’s and Whiskey Pete’s casinos in Primm kicked off Las Vegas BikeFest Wednesday night. Registration begins at 8 a.m. today inside the Golden Nugget, with the festival lasting through Sunday afternoon.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/sep/29/bikefest-organizers-stress-safety/
BikeFest organizers stress safety of event after Reno shootout
Kyle Hansen
Brian Wilson, from Canada, takes a photo of some of the motorcycles on display at the 2009 Las Vegas BikeFest.
By Jackie Valley (contact)
Thursday, Sept. 29, 2011 | 2 a.m.
Sun Archives Motorcycle enthusiasts revved up for Las Vegas BikeFest (10-3-09) Motorcyclists headed to town this weekend for the 11th Las Vegas BikeFest are bringing more than leather, chrome and heavy metal thunder with them, organizers of the event say.
They’re coming with cash, too, and plenty of it. These motorcyclists aren’t your stereotypical rough-and-tumble bikers, organizers said, but rather are doctors, lawyers and other professionals — the majority of whom are in their 40s and 50s.
“You have to have money to buy a motorcycle,” said Mindi Cherry, vice president of ConvExx, event management for BikeFest.
Even so, the fatal shootout between rival biker gangs in Sparks last Friday isn’t lost on BikeFest organizers. The gunfire inside John Ascuaga’s Nugget killed a California Hells Angels boss and wounded two members of the Vagos Motorcycle Club, sparking a retaliatory drive-by shooting several hours later.
In response, BikeFest organizers posted the following message on the event’s website Sunday:
“While we were disappointed to hear of the incident that occurred earlier this week in Sparks, Las Vegas BikeFest will not let it dampen the festivities that will be occurring several hundred miles away in Las Vegas beginning this Thursday. Las Vegas BikeFest has never had an incident in its 10 years, and we work closely with law enforcement and our own private security detail to provide a safe event for all attendees.”
Beyond that, BikeFest officials declined to comment about increased safety measures.
Metro Police spokesman Marcus Martin said the department is boosting officers’ presence in the festival’s two main hubs: Cashman Center, where the event’s 200-plus vendors will be housed, and the Fremont Street Experience area.
“We’ve been fortunate compared to the Reno and Laughlin (festivals),” Martin said. “We’re going to do our best to keep the event safe like in years past.”
Shaun Ruddy, who owns Phat Choppers in Australia and works at Arlen Ness Motorcycles in Las Vegas, said BikeFest defies biker stereotypes and is a “very professionally run event.”
“Unfortunately, there’s a very small number of incidents that get all the headlines when the good things don’t,” he said. “What they see is a shooting as opposed to 30,000 people having a good time.”
The allure of Las Vegas is what brings many bike enthusiasts to the event — about 80 percent who come from out of town, Cherry said. This year’s BikeFest includes attendees from 19 countries, she added.
Ruddy said the scene inside the Arlen Ness showroom Wednesday solidified that point: “I could look around the store and pick out six or seven (customers) not from the U.S.”
Not one of the customers was younger than 50, Ruddy said
“They tend to have enough money where they can afford to take a week off work and come to Vegas,” he said.
The Golden Nugget serves as the event’s check-in center with most events downtown at Cashman Center and several locations on the Strip, including the Harley-Davidson Café and the Mirage.
For Saturday’s Poker Run, bikers participate in a scavenger hunt of sorts, traveling to various locations across the city to pick up playing cards. The best hand wins the top prize, $7,500.
BikeFest also features the Artistry in Iron Master Builder’s Championship — a peer-judged event among custom bike builders — as well as a sports bike freestyle stunt show, which is new this year, Cherry said.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority estimates BikeFest will pump $8 million into the city’s economy based on previous attendance records, LVCVA spokesman Jeremy Handel said.
Ruddy said he hopes the recent shooting in Sparks doesn’t deter people from coming and feeling safe at Las Vegas BikeFest, an event he always has regarded as one of the best.
“In all reality, you’re probably 100 times more likely to get killed on your motorcycle coming to an event than shot at one,” he said.
Parties at Buffalo Bill’s and Whiskey Pete’s casinos in Primm kicked off Las Vegas BikeFest Wednesday night. Registration begins at 8 a.m. today inside the Golden Nugget, with the festival lasting through Sunday afternoon.
Class Action Law Suit for Unlawful Enforcement of Nevada's Helmet Law
Freedom isn't free.
If we can't be "free", pay up or repeal it!
http://www.8newsnow.com/category/28259/8-news-now-video
TigerLily
Lily Gonzalez, Las Vegas, NV,
If we can't be "free", pay up or repeal it!
http://www.8newsnow.com/category/28259/8-news-now-video
TigerLily
Lily Gonzalez, Las Vegas, NV,
POCKET-SIZED U.S. CONSTITUTION
Get a free pocket-sized U.S. CONSTITUTION
Get your FREE Pocket Constitution
Send a self addressed envelope with $0.63 postage to:
NCCS
37777 W. Juniper Rd.
Malta, ID 83342
at the next ABATE local 6 meeting.........or....
see nccs.net for bulk prices, $1. per single copy or $30. for a hundred copies. If you don't know what your rights are.......You don't have any.
John Del Santo
( 619 ) 223 - 0421
At Intersections, and
In Your Blind Spots,
"Check Twice for Motorcycles".
Get your FREE Pocket Constitution
Send a self addressed envelope with $0.63 postage to:
NCCS
37777 W. Juniper Rd.
Malta, ID 83342
at the next ABATE local 6 meeting.........or....
see nccs.net for bulk prices, $1. per single copy or $30. for a hundred copies. If you don't know what your rights are.......You don't have any.
John Del Santo
( 619 ) 223 - 0421
At Intersections, and
In Your Blind Spots,
"Check Twice for Motorcycles".
1st Saturday BBQ - Saturday, October 1, 2011
1st Saturday BBQ - Saturday, October 1, 2011
Come join us this Saturday at Sweetwater H-D, on our 1st Saturday of the month BBQ. We will fire up the grill at 11:00am to get ready to serve you some burgers and dogs. Don't forget the goodies that go along with it:) DJ Wally will be spinning from 11 til 2.
Come join us this Saturday at Sweetwater H-D, on our 1st Saturday of the month BBQ. We will fire up the grill at 11:00am to get ready to serve you some burgers and dogs. Don't forget the goodies that go along with it:) DJ Wally will be spinning from 11 til 2.
Hells Angels Leader Mourned Following Casino Shootout
OFF THE WIRE
Jeffrey “Jethro” Pettigrew, 51, was the president of the San Jose chapter of the Hell’s Angels, but Friday night in Sparks his life was cut short after a fight broke out at John Ascuaga’s Nugget Casino Resort in Sparks, Nevada.
The police are currently reviewing CCTV footage from the casino in order to get a clearer picture of the fatal incident, which at the same time also resulted in the shooting of two members of the Vagos Motorcycle Club, and possibly another in a fly-by shooting 12 hours later.
So far, the CCTV reveals there were around a dozen Hells Angels and 60 Vagos members gambling inside the casino when the fight broke out. Pettigrew was then seen punching and then pistol-whipping several rival Vagos gang members before gunshots began being exchanged.
In the aftermath of the fight, Pettigrew was shot and stabbed in the torso several times before later succumbing to his wounds later in the hospital.
The incident took place on the sidelines of the Street Vibrations Motorcycle Festival, and despite the Hells Angels and Vagos motorbike gangs having had run-ins in the past, it is currently being seen as a spontaneous act, with with Washoe County Assistant Sheriff Marshall Emerson stating:
“In this particular case there was no credible information to indicate the event that had occurred was about to occur. If there was we would have taken immediate action to prevent that.”
Despite this year’s event subsequently being cancelled, Sparks Mayor Geno Martini called the violence an “isolated incident” and said the Street Vibrations would continue in Sparks, but “if it happens again next year, then it’s something we’ll take a harder look at.”
In the meantime, Jeffrey “Jethro” Pettigrew is being mourned by friends and supporters with an obituary for the San Jose Hell’s Angels president describing him as “the charismatic local leader of the notorious biker club.”
http://www.onlinepoker.net/poker-news/casino-news/hells-angels-leader-mourned-casino-shootout/12352
CA - San Jose: Family and friends mourn local Hells Angel president
OFF THE WIRE
Sean Webby
Source: mercurynews.com
That is not a motorcycle club. It is the San Jose Department of Transportation's pavement repair team.
They knew Pettigrew from his day job. To them, he was not the local president of a biker club that law enforcement sees as a violent criminal motorcycle gang. He was as a veteran backhoe operator who paved potholes.
Hans Larsen, director of the city's Department of Transportation, said he was not even aware that Pettigrew was a Hells Angel. Nor did he care. "We have many employees who are motorcycle enthusiasts. What they do in their private lives doesn't concern us as long as it doesn't affect their work,'' Hansen said. "From what I am hearing he was a nice person with a good attitude, very professional in his work and he did it well.''
Funeral arrangements are still being made. And Pettigrew's shooting death on Friday night at John Ascuaga's Nugget Casino, which has law enforcement on high alert for a brewing bloodshed between outlaw motorcycle clubs, is still under investigation.
Law enforcement officials have been tight-lipped about what they think sparked the deadly biker melee during which Pettigrew was fatally shot or even Pettigrew's role as an influential and iconic outlaw club leader. But generally speaking, police are skeptical about outlaw motorcycle club members oft-stated claims that they are merely motorcycle enthusiasts with tattoos and a bad rep.
Pettigrew, however, had a relatively minor criminal record, with the last conviction coming eight years ago, a misdemeanor for carrying a concealed weapon, according to court records.
This week in the South Bay those close to the 51-year-old Pettigrew remembered him simply as Jethro, a cheerful one-legged, redhead. Charismatic, quick with a goofy joke or three, lusty for life, Pettigrew was relaxed on the road even as he pulled the "dragon's tail" of a large motorcycle run. His hands hooked into a big belt buckle on his Wrangler jeans, he was the guy wearing a beat-up Dallas Cowboys hat belting out a Randy Travis tune.
"From Alaska to New York City he was well accepted everywhere he went,'' said a Steve Tausan, a lifelong friend and fellow Hells Angel, sergeant-at-arms for the Santa Cruz chapter. "Everybody knew Jethro. He was calm, cool, collected. One of those guys that can light up a room like a (expletive) Christmas tree.''
Tearfully reminiscing about his old friend this week, Tausan sat in his San Jose bail bonds office flanked by a Victory Vision bike and decorated with photographs of himself -- with football icon Jim Brown, with Hells Angels icon Sonny Barger, with Jethro -- and a sarcastic photographic shrine to the police officers who busted him for the beating death of a man at The Pink Poodle strip club almost 14 years ago. Tausan was acquitted on the charge, but he said that the same stereotyping that he says got him into that trouble dogged Pettigrew as well.
"Jethro was not a choir boy,'' he said of his slain friend. "But it's not against the law to be a Hells Angel.''
Summer Jean Pettigrew, who's name was tattooed on her father's wrist, said he was proud of his club but rarely talked about that side of his life to her. He basically forbid her to ride motorcycles.
"He was always there for me, if I broke up with someone or I lost my job or I had a flat tire or my hair color turned out wrong,'' said Pettigrew, 26. "It wasn't this big scary biker with a Tony Soprano mentality. He took me to my first Britney Spears concert. By himself. Wearing his Hells' Angels stuff. And he knew the songs.''
Pettigrew lost a leg following an accident while riding. He and Tausan were coming back to San Jose from San Francisco about 20 years ago, dodging brutal traffic. Pettigrew went to go around a car, when it made an unexpected turn and caught his right foot in the bumper. His foot shattered. Later an infection set in and Pettigrew's leg was amputated just below the knee. His daughter said he would send his used prosthetics to charities in Mexico
This week, she donated her father's immaculate Road Glide Harley, with its death heads and orange flames the color of his hair when he was younger, to club members so that they could keep it in their San Jose clubhouse as a memorial.
"I don't want my father remembered as a casualty of biker gang violence, he was the HA President, but also so much more,'' she said. "He was my daddy, my rock, my blood."
Sean Webby
Source: mercurynews.com
Police are preparing for hundreds, perhaps thousands of bikers expected to ride into Oak Hill Memorial Park in San Jose sometime next month to honor the memory of Jeff "Jethro" Pettigrew, the president of the city's Hells Angel chapter who was shot to death in a gun battle at a Sparks casino.
There will be Henchmen, East Side Riders Car Club, Devil Dolls, Top Hatters and more. Alongside them, also paying their respects, will be members of the South Yard Heavy Equipment Crew. That is not a motorcycle club. It is the San Jose Department of Transportation's pavement repair team.
They knew Pettigrew from his day job. To them, he was not the local president of a biker club that law enforcement sees as a violent criminal motorcycle gang. He was as a veteran backhoe operator who paved potholes.
Hans Larsen, director of the city's Department of Transportation, said he was not even aware that Pettigrew was a Hells Angel. Nor did he care. "We have many employees who are motorcycle enthusiasts. What they do in their private lives doesn't concern us as long as it doesn't affect their work,'' Hansen said. "From what I am hearing he was a nice person with a good attitude, very professional in his work and he did it well.''
Funeral arrangements are still being made. And Pettigrew's shooting death on Friday night at John Ascuaga's Nugget Casino, which has law enforcement on high alert for a brewing bloodshed between outlaw motorcycle clubs, is still under investigation.
Law enforcement officials have been tight-lipped about what they think sparked the deadly biker melee during which Pettigrew was fatally shot or even Pettigrew's role as an influential and iconic outlaw club leader. But generally speaking, police are skeptical about outlaw motorcycle club members oft-stated claims that they are merely motorcycle enthusiasts with tattoos and a bad rep.
Pettigrew, however, had a relatively minor criminal record, with the last conviction coming eight years ago, a misdemeanor for carrying a concealed weapon, according to court records.
This week in the South Bay those close to the 51-year-old Pettigrew remembered him simply as Jethro, a cheerful one-legged, redhead. Charismatic, quick with a goofy joke or three, lusty for life, Pettigrew was relaxed on the road even as he pulled the "dragon's tail" of a large motorcycle run. His hands hooked into a big belt buckle on his Wrangler jeans, he was the guy wearing a beat-up Dallas Cowboys hat belting out a Randy Travis tune.
"From Alaska to New York City he was well accepted everywhere he went,'' said a Steve Tausan, a lifelong friend and fellow Hells Angel, sergeant-at-arms for the Santa Cruz chapter. "Everybody knew Jethro. He was calm, cool, collected. One of those guys that can light up a room like a (expletive) Christmas tree.''
Tearfully reminiscing about his old friend this week, Tausan sat in his San Jose bail bonds office flanked by a Victory Vision bike and decorated with photographs of himself -- with football icon Jim Brown, with Hells Angels icon Sonny Barger, with Jethro -- and a sarcastic photographic shrine to the police officers who busted him for the beating death of a man at The Pink Poodle strip club almost 14 years ago. Tausan was acquitted on the charge, but he said that the same stereotyping that he says got him into that trouble dogged Pettigrew as well.
"Jethro was not a choir boy,'' he said of his slain friend. "But it's not against the law to be a Hells Angel.''
Summer Jean Pettigrew, who's name was tattooed on her father's wrist, said he was proud of his club but rarely talked about that side of his life to her. He basically forbid her to ride motorcycles.
"He was always there for me, if I broke up with someone or I lost my job or I had a flat tire or my hair color turned out wrong,'' said Pettigrew, 26. "It wasn't this big scary biker with a Tony Soprano mentality. He took me to my first Britney Spears concert. By himself. Wearing his Hells' Angels stuff. And he knew the songs.''
Pettigrew lost a leg following an accident while riding. He and Tausan were coming back to San Jose from San Francisco about 20 years ago, dodging brutal traffic. Pettigrew went to go around a car, when it made an unexpected turn and caught his right foot in the bumper. His foot shattered. Later an infection set in and Pettigrew's leg was amputated just below the knee. His daughter said he would send his used prosthetics to charities in Mexico
This week, she donated her father's immaculate Road Glide Harley, with its death heads and orange flames the color of his hair when he was younger, to club members so that they could keep it in their San Jose clubhouse as a memorial.
"I don't want my father remembered as a casualty of biker gang violence, he was the HA President, but also so much more,'' she said. "He was my daddy, my rock, my blood."
Contact Sean Webby at 408-920-5003.
Biketoberfest 2011 planned in Daytona Beach, Florida
OFF THE WIRE
Biketoberfest is an annual event held around the Greater Daytona Beach, Florida, area in mid-October. Biketoberfest was conceived in 1992 as a supplement to the spring Bike Week event. Both celebrations are exciting motorcycle rallies, and are said to be about biking and brotherhood. The official dates of this year's event will be from October 13 to 16, 2011.
Biketoberfest was started in 1992 by Janet Kersey, the former head of the Daytona Beach Convention and Visitor's Bureau. Biketoberfest was created to fill a void in Daytona's off-season in the Fall. This year, up to 250,000 bikers are expected to visit Central East Florida, dubbed "Florida's Fun Coast."
The original Biketoberfest focused on Main Street in Daytona Beach, with local bars (Bank and Blues Club, Boothill Saloon, Froggy's Saloon, Wiseguy's Watering Hole) featuring bands and vendors showcasing leather jackets and other biker merchandise; however, the event has expanded beyond this area. For example, Daytona International Speedway now features the "Fall Cycle Scene," with several motorcycle races going on at the track for racing fans. More vendors set up shop along Ridgewood Avenue (US Route 1) in South Daytona to offer biker t-shirts, leather chaps and other goods. Nearby Ormond Beach also has several biker bars (Broken Spoke Saloon, Iron Horse Saloon) that spring to life during Biketoberfest, as well as a fairly new location named Destination Daytona.
New Smyrna Beach to the south also has a number of biker bars (Pub 44, Sopotnick's Cabbage Patch) and destinations that bikers favor. New Smyrna Speedway also offers Modified auto races during Biketoberfest for race fans. Other cities and towns nearby welcome bikers, such as Daytona Beach Shores (Metz Lounge, Surfside Tavern, Ya Ya's Beachside), Port Orange (Last Chance Saloon, First Turn Sports Bar), Flagler Beach (Finnegan's Beachside Pub), Bunnell (Black Cloud Saloon), East Palatka (Cheyenne Saloon), and Pomona Park (Fat Boys Saloon).
Daytona Beach officials have hesitated in expanding the official dates of Biketoberfest beyond a single weekend; however, many bikers have learned they can arrive early, during Columbus Day weekend, and stay for an entire week in the Daytona area. Hotels usually charge higher rates during the official dates of Biketoberfest, but normal October rates are charged if arriving early. Bars and restaurants are usually fully staffed and stocked up prior to the official dates as well. An example of an early event is the Daytona Blues Festival, planned for October 6 - 8, 2011, at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.
Signs are usually posted outside businesses, asking "No Colors Please." Since Biketoberfest is about brotherhood, clashes between biker clubs are discouraged. Participants are urged to only wear black and to show respect for fellow bikers.
There are a wide variety of hotels and lodging in the area, from name-brand hotels, motels, campgrounds, and RV parks. There are many choices to be found, according to your budget.
More information:
http://www.biketoberfest.org/
http://www.daytonabeach.com/
http://www.bikerbeach.com/
http://www.examiner.com/tourism-in-orlando/biketoberfest-2011-planned-daytona-beach-florida
PA - Jury selection delayed in Campbell murder trial (Updated)
OFF THE WIRE
LITCHFIELD – Jury selection in the murder case against 56-year-old Kevin Campbell has been delayed until Oct. 17. Selection was originally supposed to have begun today.
Campbell is accused of killing Roland Lagasse outside of the Forbidden Motorcycle Club in Torrington in 2008.
Campbell, of Watertown is currently being held on $2 million bond for the killing of Lagasse on June 27, 2008. According to reports, both men were involved in a fight over a patch at the Winsted Rd. club. Campbell's brother, Jim Campbell, the Forbidden's road captain, believed member Jerome "Rob" Welch didn't deserve the one-year patch. Lagasse believed otherwise.
The proceedings follow a July 2009 mistrial in the original trial.
Two camps of witnesses gave two versions of what happened. On June 27, 2008, Lagasse, took off his “rags,” or motorcycle vest, walked outside the barn that the Forbidden club members used as a meeting house, and challenged the defendant’s brother, James Campbell, to a fight.
The club was split on whether to grant a one-year patch to another member. State witnesses said Lagasse struck James Campbell once and turned toward the defendant saying, “You want some too (profanity)?” The state’s key witness, Eugene Thebarge, said Kevin Campbell responded, “You’re a dead man (profanity),” drew his .38 special, stepped forward and shot Lagasse in the chest as Lagasse was recoiling away.
http://www.registercitizen.com/articles/2011/09/27/news/doc4e81dfa996407012243387.txt?viewmode=default
LITCHFIELD – Jury selection in the murder case against 56-year-old Kevin Campbell has been delayed until Oct. 17. Selection was originally supposed to have begun today.
Campbell is accused of killing Roland Lagasse outside of the Forbidden Motorcycle Club in Torrington in 2008.
Campbell, of Watertown is currently being held on $2 million bond for the killing of Lagasse on June 27, 2008. According to reports, both men were involved in a fight over a patch at the Winsted Rd. club. Campbell's brother, Jim Campbell, the Forbidden's road captain, believed member Jerome "Rob" Welch didn't deserve the one-year patch. Lagasse believed otherwise.
The proceedings follow a July 2009 mistrial in the original trial.
Two camps of witnesses gave two versions of what happened. On June 27, 2008, Lagasse, took off his “rags,” or motorcycle vest, walked outside the barn that the Forbidden club members used as a meeting house, and challenged the defendant’s brother, James Campbell, to a fight.
The club was split on whether to grant a one-year patch to another member. State witnesses said Lagasse struck James Campbell once and turned toward the defendant saying, “You want some too (profanity)?” The state’s key witness, Eugene Thebarge, said Kevin Campbell responded, “You’re a dead man (profanity),” drew his .38 special, stepped forward and shot Lagasse in the chest as Lagasse was recoiling away.
http://www.registercitizen.com/articles/2011/09/27/news/doc4e81dfa996407012243387.txt?viewmode=default
CANADA - Put shelter for homeless behind HA clubhouse
OFF THE WIRE
BY NEIL SAUNDERS, THE DAILY NEWS
Re: 'North Vs. South'
That's about it, north versus south. The south don't care about the north but for the great shopping and north people seem to think they are the righteous.
I've lived in a few spread-out places across Canada. I worked at a strip mall in the north end of Nanaimo a few years ago. Excluding the family I worked for, I daily faced the rudest people I have ever run into anywhere in Canada.
Please city officials, put this new housing on the city's land behind the Hells Angels' clubhouse or the Rainer Street road allowance. Here people would be treated like human beings.
Neil Saunders Nanaimo
http://www.canada.com/shelter+homeless+behind+clubhouse/5469528/story.html
BY NEIL SAUNDERS, THE DAILY NEWS
Re: 'North Vs. South'
That's about it, north versus south. The south don't care about the north but for the great shopping and north people seem to think they are the righteous.
I've lived in a few spread-out places across Canada. I worked at a strip mall in the north end of Nanaimo a few years ago. Excluding the family I worked for, I daily faced the rudest people I have ever run into anywhere in Canada.
Please city officials, put this new housing on the city's land behind the Hells Angels' clubhouse or the Rainer Street road allowance. Here people would be treated like human beings.
Neil Saunders Nanaimo
http://www.canada.com/shelter+homeless+behind+clubhouse/5469528/story.html
CA-CHP reports decline in motorcycle-involved collisions, injuries
OFF THE WIRE
Http://blogs.sacbee.Com/crime/archives/2011/09/chp-reports-decline-in-motorc
Ycle-involved-collisions-injuries.HTML
September 28, 2011
CHP reports decline in motorcycle-involved collisions, injuries
The California Highway Patrol reports that a two-year, federally funded
Program to increase motorists' awareness of motorcyclists on California
Roadways appears to have paid off with a decline in the number of collisions
Involving motorcycles.
Preliminary figures for 2010 from the CHP's Statewide Integrated Traffic
Records system show that the number of people killed in motorcycle-involved
Collisions last year was down 9 percent from the previous year, according to
A CHP news release. The number of people injured in motorcycle-involved
Collisions appears to be down 8.5 percent.
Throughout the campaign, the CHP has emphasized the "Share the Road"
Message. To help convey that message to the motoring public, officials said,
The CHP held several presentations and conducted several highly publicized
Motorcycle safety enforcement operations.
The CHP, in conjunction with the California Department of Transportation,
Arranged to display "Share the road - Look twice for motorcyclists" on
Changeable message signs on highways statewide on several occasions
Throughout the term of the grant.
Funding for the program was provided by a grant from the California Office
Of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic safety
Administration.
Http://blogs.sacbee.Com/crime/archives/2011/09/chp-reports-decline-in-motorc
Ycle-involved-collisions-injuries.HTML
September 28, 2011
CHP reports decline in motorcycle-involved collisions, injuries
The California Highway Patrol reports that a two-year, federally funded
Program to increase motorists' awareness of motorcyclists on California
Roadways appears to have paid off with a decline in the number of collisions
Involving motorcycles.
Preliminary figures for 2010 from the CHP's Statewide Integrated Traffic
Records system show that the number of people killed in motorcycle-involved
Collisions last year was down 9 percent from the previous year, according to
A CHP news release. The number of people injured in motorcycle-involved
Collisions appears to be down 8.5 percent.
Throughout the campaign, the CHP has emphasized the "Share the Road"
Message. To help convey that message to the motoring public, officials said,
The CHP held several presentations and conducted several highly publicized
Motorcycle safety enforcement operations.
The CHP, in conjunction with the California Department of Transportation,
Arranged to display "Share the road - Look twice for motorcyclists" on
Changeable message signs on highways statewide on several occasions
Throughout the term of the grant.
Funding for the program was provided by a grant from the California Office
Of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic safety
Administration.
Ca - Man shot dead at Oakland motorcycle club
OFF THE WIRE
abclocal.go.com
A man died after being shot at an East Oakland motorcycle club, police said today.
The man was shot at about 9:45 p.m. Tuesday at the East Bay Dragons motorcycle club near the corner of 88th Avenue and International Boulevard, authorities said.
The victim, whose name was not released, was taken to Highland Hospital in Oakland, where he was pronounced dead.
No arrests have been made.
The East Bay Dragons is an African American motorcycle club whose members have "secured their place as modern urban folk heroes alongside the Hells Angels, the Oakland Raiders and the Black Panthers," the group's website said.
On May 29, LaToya Kenny, 28, of Union City and Eric Bush, 29, of San Leandro were killed in a shooting during an illegal car rally known as a "sideshow" on the same block. Authorities said the motorcycle clubhouse was closed at the time.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/09/28/BAN31LAMA7.DTL#ixzz1ZFxA2Gz3
abclocal.go.com
A man died after being shot at an East Oakland motorcycle club, police said today.
The man was shot at about 9:45 p.m. Tuesday at the East Bay Dragons motorcycle club near the corner of 88th Avenue and International Boulevard, authorities said.
The victim, whose name was not released, was taken to Highland Hospital in Oakland, where he was pronounced dead.
No arrests have been made.
The East Bay Dragons is an African American motorcycle club whose members have "secured their place as modern urban folk heroes alongside the Hells Angels, the Oakland Raiders and the Black Panthers," the group's website said.
On May 29, LaToya Kenny, 28, of Union City and Eric Bush, 29, of San Leandro were killed in a shooting during an illegal car rally known as a "sideshow" on the same block. Authorities said the motorcycle clubhouse was closed at the time.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/09/28/BAN31LAMA7.DTL#ixzz1ZFxA2Gz3