"Some people aren't your friends
They're just scared to be your enemy"
Thursday, November 30, 2017
Monday, November 20, 2017
Hells Angels MC members charged
San Francisco, California (November 20, 2017) —Biker Trash Network— Federal prosecutors in San Francisco have charged nine members of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club with running a criminal organization responsible for multiple robberies and assaults and one murder.
The U.S. Attorney's office and FBI announced the charges on Monday. Most of the defendants are members of the group's Sonoma County chapter in Northern California.
The most serious crime, however, took place when Jonathan “Jon Jon” Nelson, the president of the Sonoma County chapter of the Hells Angels, told an unnamed victim to meet with Brian Wendt, the president of the Fresno County chapter of the Hells Angels—with Wendt then murdering the victim, the indictment states.
Other crimes laid against the gang members include drug trafficking, assault, robbery, illegal guns and witness intimidation.
“This week we have taken a significant step toward bringing to justice an alleged conspiracy whose aim has been to commit violent crimes,” U.S. Attorney Brian Stretch, of the Northern District of California, said in a statement Monday confirmed by BTN.
Another Hells Angels member sexually assaulted someone identified only as “Victim 6” last year, threatening during the attack to hurt Victim 6’s family if they reported the assault.
The head of the FBI's San Francisco division, Jack Bennett, said their crimes were intended to instill fear in parts of the city of Santa Rosa.
The indictment also includes multiple charges of intimidating witnesses.
SOURCE: Newsweek
Sunday, November 19, 2017
Outlaws MC member charged with murder of female bartender
JOLIET, IL (November 18, 2017) — Jeremy Boshears, of Coal City, was charged with killing Kaitlyn Kearns by Will County authorities on Saturday. According to a release from Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow's office, the 32-year-old Boshears was charged with three counts of first-degree murder.
Will County Circuit Judge Carla Alessio Policandriotes reviewed the murder case and signed an arrest warrant that included a $10 million bond. A court date has yet to be scheduled. Boshears was booked into the Jerome Combs Detention Center in Kankakee on Friday after he was charged with concealment of a homicide by Kankakee County State's Attorney Jim Rowe. Kankakee County Judge Kathy Bradshaw-Elliott set Boshears' bond on that charge at $250,000.
Rowe has agreed it is appropriate to prosecute all charges in Will County. He has agreed to dismiss his charge so that a similar charge can be filed in Will County as part of the overall prosecution of this case, according to the release.
According to the Will County sheriff's release, investigators believe Kearns had met Boshears four weeks ago while she worked as a bartender at Woody's bar, located in the 1000 block of East Washington Street in Joliet. Kearns dated Boshears for the past two weeks.
Kearns told people she was going to the Outlaws Motorcycle Clubhouse after she got off her shift at 1:30 a.m. on Monday. The clubhouse is down the street from Woody's. Kearns was reported missing at about 2:45 p.m. Tuesday by her father.
On Wednesday, Joliet detectives turned the search over to the Will County Sheriff's Department. Will County investigators searched the Outlaws' building Thursday. A media report said investigators towed Boshears' Dodge Charger from an alley next to the clubhouse.
In obtaining the warrant, a prosecutor said in Kankakee County court that Boshears is a known member of the Outlaws.
On Friday, Will County Sheriff's Public Information Officer Kathy Hoffmeyer said they had a person of interest (Boshears) in custody in the investigation of the murder. "The person in custody has retained an attorney, and we are unable to speak with him any further," she said.
SOURCE: The Joliet Patch
The Outlaws MC
The three counts allege that Boshears shot Kearns, of Mokena, in the head with a firearm on Nov. 13.Will County Circuit Judge Carla Alessio Policandriotes reviewed the murder case and signed an arrest warrant that included a $10 million bond. A court date has yet to be scheduled. Boshears was booked into the Jerome Combs Detention Center in Kankakee on Friday after he was charged with concealment of a homicide by Kankakee County State's Attorney Jim Rowe. Kankakee County Judge Kathy Bradshaw-Elliott set Boshears' bond on that charge at $250,000.
Related | Outlaws clubhouse searched over murder investigation
It is alleged Boshears drove Kearns' 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee with her body inside to a residence in Aroma Township and parked it in a pole barn.
On Thursday, investigators using electronic means were able to locate the vehicle. They found her in the back of the vehicle. She was pronounced dead of a single gunshot wound to the head. Investigators do not believe the property owner was involved or had knowledge of the murder.
On Thursday, investigators using electronic means were able to locate the vehicle. They found her in the back of the vehicle. She was pronounced dead of a single gunshot wound to the head. Investigators do not believe the property owner was involved or had knowledge of the murder.
Rowe has agreed it is appropriate to prosecute all charges in Will County. He has agreed to dismiss his charge so that a similar charge can be filed in Will County as part of the overall prosecution of this case, according to the release.
According to the Will County sheriff's release, investigators believe Kearns had met Boshears four weeks ago while she worked as a bartender at Woody's bar, located in the 1000 block of East Washington Street in Joliet. Kearns dated Boshears for the past two weeks.
Kearns told people she was going to the Outlaws Motorcycle Clubhouse after she got off her shift at 1:30 a.m. on Monday. The clubhouse is down the street from Woody's. Kearns was reported missing at about 2:45 p.m. Tuesday by her father.
In obtaining the warrant, a prosecutor said in Kankakee County court that Boshears is a known member of the Outlaws.
On Friday, Will County Sheriff's Public Information Officer Kathy Hoffmeyer said they had a person of interest (Boshears) in custody in the investigation of the murder. "The person in custody has retained an attorney, and we are unable to speak with him any further," she said.
SOURCE: The Joliet Patch
Feds lead police raid at bar during Hells Angels end of summer run
Santa Rosa, California (November 18, 2017) —Biker Trash Network— Law enforcement officers led by the FBI surrounded a Santa Rosa bar where motorcyclists affiliated with the Hells Angels motorcycle club had gathered on Saturday afternoon, part of an extensive, daytime police action that also focused on a home in southwest Santa Rosa and resulted in arrests, authorities said.
An FBI spokesman said the operation was conducted under a sealed federal warrant, but neither he nor local law enforcement officials would say who the operation was targeting or how many locations were involved.
However, witnesses at the Wagon Wheel Saloon around noon said they saw motorcycles being seized and riders detained outside the bar on Mendocino Avenue.
A tactical team from the FBI was on site, as were a number of CHP officers and the armored SWAT vehicle shared by the Santa Rosa Police Department and the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office. Some of the heavily armed officers wore full tactical gear, including Kevlar helmets and bulletproof vests, and wielded assault rifles. No shots were fired or physical altercations reported.
Santa Rosa Police Chief Hank Schreeder said there was a “significant” number of Santa Rosa officers and detectives who assisted the FBI in the operation, which later also involved an armed search of an Antelope Lane home, 6 miles to the south in the city’s Bellevue Avenue neighborhood.
Prentice Danner, the FBI spokesman, confirmed that arrests were made but declined to say how many. The federal warrant will be unsealed Monday, he said, when the agency plans to share more information at a San Francisco press conference.
The Wagon Wheel Saloon was the scheduled departure point Saturday for a Hells Angels Motorcycle Club ride billed as the “Red White Sonoma County End of Summer Run,” according to the website of the group’s Sonoma County chapter. The previously planned ride had been rescheduled due to last month’s fires.
One rider said he traveled Saturday from Fort Bragg with a group of about 10 fellow motorcyclists for the scheduled ride. As riders were outside the bar “starting up their bikes” and getting ready to head out, he said, a swarm of law enforcement appeared.
“They just surrounded the place and wouldn’t let anybody go anywhere,” said the rider, Dan, who would only give his first name. Officers eventually allowed some riders, including him, to leave. Though he was separated from the rest of his group, he said.
Multiple riders in front of the bar Saturday were seen wearing vests with Hells Angels’ patches on them. Authorities would not elaborate on what ties, if any, the club or motorcycle riders in general had with the police action.
A Wagon Wheel bartender who refused to provide his name indicated that the establishment appeared not to be the target but a staging ground for the police raid.
“All it did was ruin a perfectly good afternoon,” he said. “It was a cheap party, (the police) didn’t even bring a helicopter.”
About 12:30 p.m., Santa Rosa police issued a public notice advising people to avoid the Mendocino Avenue block where the Wagon Wheel is located, between Administration Drive and Bicentennial Way.
The block was reopened by 2 p.m. and law enforcement left. A handful of bikers in leather Hells Angels vests lingered outside of the bar but refused to comment. Others drove off on their Harley-Davidson's toward Highway 101. Groups of motorcycles, including Hells Angels riders, were later reported as they were seen by officers traveling in the area and across Sonoma County, according to radio dispatch traffic.
After 2 p.m., FBI officials were seen surrounding the home off Antelope Lane, where they reportedly used concussion grenades in a search that the FBI spokesman confirmed was related to the raid at the saloon.
Roughly a dozen FBI agents were staged outside the home about 3 p.m.
They wore camouflage uniforms and bulletproof vests and carried assault rifles. A Santa Rosa Police detective assisting at the scene described the search as connected with an FBI case. FBI agents on the scene refused to comment.
As the search was underway, a man who said he lived at the residence sat outside on a fire hydrant. The man, who refused to share his name, had not been detained.
An owner of the Wagon Wheel could not be reached late Saturday. A representative of the Sonoma County Hells Angels did not return a phone call seeking comment.
At the Wagon Wheel on Saturday afternoon, a man who declined to provide his name for fear of his safety, said he pulled over near the bar about 1 p.m. and saw in the area at least two dozen law enforcement officials, including CHP and FBI representatives as well as police dogs. He said he saw authorities confiscate Harley-Davidson motorcycles and load them into a truck.
“You could see them bringing out motorcycle after motorcycle,” the man said. “This was all a big, preplanned thing.”
SOURCE: The Press Democrat
Full patched members along with probates cornered
An FBI spokesman said the operation was conducted under a sealed federal warrant, but neither he nor local law enforcement officials would say who the operation was targeting or how many locations were involved.
However, witnesses at the Wagon Wheel Saloon around noon said they saw motorcycles being seized and riders detained outside the bar on Mendocino Avenue.
A tactical team from the FBI was on site, as were a number of CHP officers and the armored SWAT vehicle shared by the Santa Rosa Police Department and the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office. Some of the heavily armed officers wore full tactical gear, including Kevlar helmets and bulletproof vests, and wielded assault rifles. No shots were fired or physical altercations reported.
California Highway Patrol
Santa Rosa Police Chief Hank Schreeder said there was a “significant” number of Santa Rosa officers and detectives who assisted the FBI in the operation, which later also involved an armed search of an Antelope Lane home, 6 miles to the south in the city’s Bellevue Avenue neighborhood.
Prentice Danner, the FBI spokesman, confirmed that arrests were made but declined to say how many. The federal warrant will be unsealed Monday, he said, when the agency plans to share more information at a San Francisco press conference.
One rider said he traveled Saturday from Fort Bragg with a group of about 10 fellow motorcyclists for the scheduled ride. As riders were outside the bar “starting up their bikes” and getting ready to head out, he said, a swarm of law enforcement appeared.
“They just surrounded the place and wouldn’t let anybody go anywhere,” said the rider, Dan, who would only give his first name. Officers eventually allowed some riders, including him, to leave. Though he was separated from the rest of his group, he said.
Multiple riders in front of the bar Saturday were seen wearing vests with Hells Angels’ patches on them. Authorities would not elaborate on what ties, if any, the club or motorcycle riders in general had with the police action.
A Wagon Wheel bartender who refused to provide his name indicated that the establishment appeared not to be the target but a staging ground for the police raid.
The FBI along with the State Highway Patrol and of course the local PD were involved
“All it did was ruin a perfectly good afternoon,” he said. “It was a cheap party, (the police) didn’t even bring a helicopter.”
About 12:30 p.m., Santa Rosa police issued a public notice advising people to avoid the Mendocino Avenue block where the Wagon Wheel is located, between Administration Drive and Bicentennial Way.
Inspecting VIN's
The block was reopened by 2 p.m. and law enforcement left. A handful of bikers in leather Hells Angels vests lingered outside of the bar but refused to comment. Others drove off on their Harley-Davidson's toward Highway 101. Groups of motorcycles, including Hells Angels riders, were later reported as they were seen by officers traveling in the area and across Sonoma County, according to radio dispatch traffic.
After 2 p.m., FBI officials were seen surrounding the home off Antelope Lane, where they reportedly used concussion grenades in a search that the FBI spokesman confirmed was related to the raid at the saloon.
Roughly a dozen FBI agents were staged outside the home about 3 p.m.
Law enforcement had the road shut down during the raid
They wore camouflage uniforms and bulletproof vests and carried assault rifles. A Santa Rosa Police detective assisting at the scene described the search as connected with an FBI case. FBI agents on the scene refused to comment.
As the search was underway, a man who said he lived at the residence sat outside on a fire hydrant. The man, who refused to share his name, had not been detained.
An owner of the Wagon Wheel could not be reached late Saturday. A representative of the Sonoma County Hells Angels did not return a phone call seeking comment.
Law enforcement searching a vehicle during the raid at a home
At the Wagon Wheel on Saturday afternoon, a man who declined to provide his name for fear of his safety, said he pulled over near the bar about 1 p.m. and saw in the area at least two dozen law enforcement officials, including CHP and FBI representatives as well as police dogs. He said he saw authorities confiscate Harley-Davidson motorcycles and load them into a truck.
“You could see them bringing out motorcycle after motorcycle,” the man said. “This was all a big, preplanned thing.”
SOURCE: The Press Democrat
Thursday, November 16, 2017
Outlaws clubhouse searched over murder investigation
Joliet, Illinois (November 16, 2017) — The Will County Sheriff's Department confirmed late Thursday
afternoon that investigators do have a person of interest in the murder of
24-year-old Joliet bartender Katie Kearns, of rural Mokena. She suffered a
single gunshot to her head, authorities revealed.
The sheriff's department also confirmed there is an apparent connection with the young woman's disappearance and the Joliet Outlaws Motorcycle Club.
The Outlaws MC's clubhouse in Joliet, Ill.
The sheriff's department also confirmed there is an apparent connection with the young woman's disappearance and the Joliet Outlaws Motorcycle Club.
"We are confirming that she had told four different
people that she was heading to the Outlaws Clubhouse after her shift,"
Will County Sheriff's Department Spokeswoman Kathy Hoffmeyer said.
Kearns was found murdered inside of the 1996 Jeep Grand
Cherokee that she was driving. Her vehicle was located in a rural area of
Kankakee County near St. Anne's, which is southeast of Kankakee, about an
hour's drive from Woody's or the Joliet Outlaws Clubhouse.
Joliet bartender Katie Kearns
"It's out in the country," Hoffmeyer said of the
crime scene.
By 10 a.m., the Will County Sheriff's Department SWAT team
showed up in force at the Joliet Outlaws clubhouse and stormed into the place.
"'They might have taken a car out of there as part of the
investigation," she said. At this stage, it appears that the homicide investigation is
coming together.
"We do have a person of interest," Hoffmeyer said.
"No charges have been filed yet."
She said that Will County Sheriff's investigators have been
working nonstop on the investigation since Wednesday morning. "Several of
them have not gone home since Wednesday morning."
Hoffmeyer confirmed that, around 10 a.m., several hours
after Kearns was found dead about an hour southeast of Joliet, the Will County
Sheriff's Police raided the Joliet Outlaws Motorcycle Club.
Police in front of the Outlaws MC's Clubhouse
The clubhouse is up
the road from Woody's, also along East Washington Street. Some Outlaws frequent Woody's Bar, where
Kearns was last seen alive.
In its press release about the homicide, the sheriff's
department emphasized that "detectives believe that there is no threat to
the community and that (Katie) was the intended target of this homicide."
Thursday's late morning announcement by Will County comes on
the heels of a volunteer search effort that was apparently underway around the
east side of Joliet in hopes of finding Kearns and the missing Jeep.
SOURCE: Patch