mistrial bY: bILL bISH, ncom
Biker Ne
waco case ends in
mistrial bY: bILL bISH, ncom
THE AIM / NCOM MOTORCYCLE E-NEWS SERVICE is brought to you by Aid to Injured Motorcyclists( A. I. M.) and the National Coalition of Motorcyclists( NCOM), and is sponsored by the Law Offices of Richard M. Lester. If you’ ve been involved in any kind of accident, call us at 1-( 800) ON-A-BIKE or visit www. ON-A-BIKE. com.
HUNG JURY FORCES MISTRIAL IN FIRST WACO CASE
It’ s been over two years since the bloody Twin Peaks melee in Waco, Texas, and the first trial of more than 150 of those arrested and charged has ended in a mistrial when the jury was hopelessly split on multiple counts.
Dallas Bandidos leader Jake Carrizal was charged with three criminal counts, including murder and racketeering, stemming from the May 17, 2015 brawl and gunfight with rival Cossacks members during a meeting of the Texas Confederation of Clubs and Independents that left nine bikers dead and 18 seriously injured, most shot by responding police.
The prosecution had hoped a conviction in this first“ big test case,” considered the state’ s strongest, would serve as an indicator of how solid the government’ s cases might be going forward, and could be used to generate plea deals amongst the remaining 153 bikers indicted, explained A. I. M.( Aid to Injured Motorcyclists) Attorney Bill Smith of Texas. Smith, who also serves as legal counsel for the Confederations of Clubs( COC) in Texas, gave a much-anticipated update to bikers from across the U. S. during a recent National Coalition of Motorcyclists( NCOM) Regional Meeting in Oklahoma City.
Carrizal faces life in prison if found guilty, but following more than a month of testimony in proceedings that cost the Waco community over $ 2 million to date, the three woman, nine man jury deliberated for just under 15 hours over two days before notifying Judge Matt Johnson they were irrevocably deadlocked and unable to reach a verdict.
Judge Johnson sent the jury home on Friday, November 10, and declared a mistrial. The State has reportedly announced they will retry the case, but at this point it is unclear if the case will be retried on the same or amended charges, or how it will affect others under indictment.
“ Just by attending a regularly scheduled monthly meeting, many of these bikers lost their jobs, lost their motorcycles, lost homes, or lost custody of
a child because of their arrest for engaging in criminal activity,” said Attorney Smith,“ spending days, weeks or months in jail under million dollar bail bonds.”
In early 2016, several of the bikers filed a civil rights lawsuit against the District Attorney, the Chief of Police and other Waco officials, and“ if acquitted, they can succeed in civil action.”
NCOM MEETING REPORT FROM OKC
“ Many thanks to all that attended the NCOM Board of Directors meeting and NCOM Region 2 Conference this past weekend in Oklahoma City, and to all OK COC( Confederation of Clubs) Member Groups that worked so hard to ensure its success,” wrote NCOM board member Tiger Mike Revere, Liaison for the Oklahoma Confederation of Clubs, in his recent OKCOC Liaison Report.
“ Lots of valuable information was shared that will ultimately help improve our Motorcycling Quality of Life,” Tiger Mike continues …“ The seminar dealing with RICO and Biker Judicial Rights, the Texas AIM / NCOM Attorney update on the Waco Situation, and the presentation addressing profiling and police harassment of Motorcyclists were educational. The Regional Motorcyclist Rights Forum and Multi-State COC Symposium afforded Rights Activists and Club Members from all over the Nation the opportunity to share informational updates and legislative strategy for the future. The Regional Christian Unity Meeting featured Spiritual riding groups from many states sharing their faith and community outreach experiences.”
Revere goes on to say that,“ The NCOM Board of Directors continues to be impressed with the degree of enthusiasm and involvement Region 2 Members demonstrate for being educated on critical issues. Particular recognition goes to those that staffed the Hospitality Room, handled logistics for the hotel and transportation, and to the vendors that took part. The Saturday Night Camaraderie Party and Dinner was a Blast! Thanks to our OKCOC Lawyers for providing the food. It was great to see how many riders showed up for Sunday’ s OKCOC Meeting as well--the Biltmore Hotel’ s Ballroom was packed with well over 400 Riders!”
He concludes with;“ I deeply appreciate your passion and commitment to defending Biker Liberty, in Oklahoma and Nationwide. Be sure to put the 33rd Annual National Coalition of Motorcyclists Convention on your Calendar. It’ s scheduled for May 8-13, 2018 in Mobile, AL at the Riverview Plaza Renaissance Hotel, and it’ s going to be a great one! The Region 2 Conference was also a Veterans’ Day celebration, and 150 bikes rode to the Oklahoma State Capitol on November 11 to take part in the ceremonies. Thanks very much, attendees, for honoring our Armed Forces!”
BIKERS ASSIST DISASTER VICTIMS
U. S. Defenders and the Facilitators at Camp Ironhorse have been deeply involved not only in assisting Hurricane Harvey Disaster relief efforts in Texas, but also in traveling to Puerto Rico for disaster relief aid following Hurricane Maria.“ Texas Defenders and Camp Ironhorse volunteers alternate every other week delivering supplies and support equipment,” reports NCOM board member Tiger Mike Revere, Liaison for the Oklahoma Confederation of Clubs.“ Multiple agencies in our area have donated to support efforts which benefit our fellow Americans victimized by the storms and enhance a Positive Biker Image.” A critical need continues, so anyone interested in providing any support or donations, assisting in Relief Efforts, or desiring more information can contact Monte“ Stick” Keiner at: wizzardproduction @ yahoo. com.
NCOM Christian Unity also continues to be very responsive in meeting Disaster Victims’ needs, as updated at the recent Region 2 Conference in Oklahoma.“ They are working with an effort led by Central Harley- Davidson out of Austin TX,” reports Revere,“ and the assistance they provided is much appreciated by our awesome Motorcycling Community.” For more information or to contribute, contact Louie Nobs, NCOM Christian Unity Liaison, at ncom. christianunity @ gmail. com
ḂIKING PASTOR SHEPHERDS TEXAS CHURCH, SITE OF MASSACRE
Pastor Frank Pomeroy oversees the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, where a crazed gunman opened fire on Sunday, November 5th and slaughtered 26 people, one unborn, and injured 20 others inside the church.“ Rev. Pomeroy, a motorcycle enthusiast, also runs a ministry for bikers,” and the following information was submitted to NCOM Biker Newsbytes by Becky Cakes, recipient of the National Coalition of Motorcyclists’ 2013 NCOM Silver Spoke Award for Media.
The First Baptist Church has a YouTube Channel where it posts videos of worship services and events, and in the last sermon posted online, Rev. Pomeroy-- the church’ s motorcycle-riding pastor-- used the imagery of a Harley-Davidson to illustrate his theme for the service, entitled“ You Don’ t Need Training Wheels, You Need Christ!”
Ms. Cakes continues her post;“ The pastor brought his bike into church last Sunday, set it in front of the altar and used it as a metaphor. It was safer, he said, to lean into turns on the bike, even though it felt less safe, a lesson he was trying to teach his daughter Annabelle Pomeroy, 14, on the ride there that morning, when it was only 34 degrees.
“ We had a beautiful ride,” he said.“ She was back there cuddled behind me, and when I pointed at the temperature gauge, I felt her snuggle in even tighter.” Annabelle was shot and killed on Sunday. Mr. Pomeroy and his wife, Sherri, were out of the state. …”( Excerpted from The Wall Street Journal, www. wsj. com).
30 Thunder Roads Magazine Louisiana / Mississippi | December 2017 | www. thunderroadslams. com