SAN BERNARDINO - Prosecutors amended the charges against a local member of the Vagos motorcycle club, who was arrested during a sweep in October, to include a 1980 conviction in Idaho in the strangulation of a 19-year-old woman.
Thomas Henry Gibson of San Bernardino appeared Tuesday before Judge Michael Dest in San Bernardino Superior Court, where prosecutors announced the newly amended charges, according to court records. Gibson pleaded not guilty to the charges.
With the addition of the prior conviction, the 60-year-old Gibson is now being held at West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga, in lieu of $350,000 bail - an increase of $100,000.
Gibson is one of several San Bernardino County members of the Vagos arrested last month in a sweep conducted by state and local authorities. Drugs, weapons and body armor were seized during the raid, agents from the California Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement said.
Gibson is charged with possessing marijuana for sale and participating in a criminal street gang. He returns to court Nov. 9 to determine if lawyers are ready for a preliminary hearing scheduled for Nov. 14. Vagos member Andrew Eloy Lozano is also set for the same dates.
At a preliminary hearing, a judge will hear witness testimony to determine if sufficient evidence exists to hold over the defendant for trial on the charges.
Gibson's attorney, Mark McDonald, could not be reached at his office.