In need of a Hells Angels expert, Santa Clara County’s DA turned to an Antioch cop on leave in racist text scandal
Thomas Lenderman is among dozens of Antioch officers named in a sprawling racist texting scandal
By JAKOB RODGERS | jrodgers@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
ByAdministrator November 16, 2023
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Unable to hold his Antioch Police Division-issued badge or gun after being named in a sprawling racist texting scandal, Officer Thomas Lenderman has discovered one other approach to put these sidelined policing expertise to work.
He’s testifying as Santa Clara County prosecutors’ hand-picked gang skilled in a case towards members of the Hells Angels Bike Membership and the group’s alleged ties to 2 brutal beatings throughout a Chris Stapleton live performance final yr at Mountain View’s Shoreline Amphitheater.
All of this, regardless of Lenderman having spent the previous six months on paid administrative go away from his day job in Antioch.
His testimony in late October and early November marked a brand new twist in one of many Bay Space’s largest police scandals in a long time. Whereas a number of different Antioch officers on go away tried desperately in latest months to keep away from showing in court docket — even going as far as to quote “industrial accidents” for his or her absences — Lenderman put up no such battle.
Reasonably, the officer supplied hours of testimony with the blessing of Santa Clara County Choose David A. Cena, who overruled quite a few objections from protection attorneys on the legality of permitting a police officer to testify as a court-sanctioned skilled whereas on go away amid allegations of misconduct. He stays on go away.
The entire state of affairs appears “weird,” mentioned LaDoris Cordell, a retired Santa Clara County decide and former San Jose impartial police auditor who was not concerned within the case.
Lenderman is amongst a minimum of 44 Antioch law enforcement officials who both despatched or obtained racist, sexist and homophobic textual content messages in recent times, in response to information found throughout an FBI investigation and later obtained by this information group. Lenderman himself obtained a number of messages utilizing the N-word to explain Black residents, together with one which appeared to make mild of police canine biting individuals. One other message he obtained supplied to purchase a primary rib dinner to whoever might shoot Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe, who’s Black, with a less-lethal foam bullet throughout a protest.
In early September 2020, Lenderman allegedly despatched a textual content to different Antioch officers in regards to the Black Lives Matter motion: “it’s just like the black panthers (sic) however they’re Hispanics and from LA space. They had been in Martinez for the BLM s—,” textual content information present.
Even when it’s been deemed authorized, Cordell mentioned, calling somebody to the stand with a lot baggage makes little sense.
“It’s uncommon — I do know I by no means noticed it,” Cordell mentioned. “And I’m very involved that we’re giving a lot credibility to somebody who, proper now, can’t be on the power due to these very critical allegations.”
The transfer additionally raised questions amongst police reform advocates in regards to the Santa Clara County District Legal professional’s Workplace tolerance for racist texting, on condition that one other officer was lately discovered to ship racist texts in its personal yard. Earlier this month, San Jose police Officer Mark McNamara resigned after sending messages that included the N-word and the assertion “I hate Black individuals.”
“It’s indicative of a DA’s workplace that’s attempting to safe a conviction at any price, and a DA’s workplace that appears fully indifferent and divorced from the truth that’s taking place in the neighborhood,” mentioned Raj Jayadev, an organizer Silicon Valley De-Bug.
In an announcement, Santa Clara County Assistant District Legal professional Stacey Capps burdened {that a} decide overseeing the Hells Angels case dismissed issues in regards to the Antioch officer and certified him as an outlaw bike gang skilled anyway. Lenderman was not paid for his time, past receiving a parking stipend, and had been requested to be an skilled a number of months earlier than being positioned on go away, a DA’s spokesperson mentioned.
“The officer’s pending disciplinary course of and his distinctive and deep experience within the Hells Angels, had been disclosed to the protection and heard by the decide,” Capps’ assertion learn.
Lenderman’s lawyer, Michael Rains, described the officer as “a really properly revered skilled” on bike gangs who “shouldn’t even be on administrative go away” and is “going to be again to work earlier than lengthy.”
Rains mentioned Lenderman’s textual content relating to the Black Lives Matter motion got here as he sought to guard the group’s members from the Hells Angels throughout one in all their protests. And Rains added that Lenderman by no means noticed texts despatched to him with the N-word in them.
A former navy policeman and 22-year veteran of the Antioch Police Division, Lenderman testified that he beforehand investigated about two dozen circumstances involving Hells Angels members since 2018 and spoke repeatedly at regulation enforcement conferences in regards to the bike membership. Regardless of being on go away, Lenderman mentioned he at present had subpoenas to testify in three counties.
His look in Santa Clara County, on the behest of deputy district lawyer Irene Williams, marked his fifth time being certified as an skilled in court docket. The earlier 4 occasions had been in Contra Costa County — 3 times as an skilled on outlaw bike gangs, and as soon as to give attention to the Norteno avenue gang.
His testimony this fall centered on the Hells Angels and reputed members accused in a number of beatings on June 18, 2022, at Shoreline Amphitheater.
Authorities suspect a number of Hells Angels members beat an off-duty police officer on the present earlier than one in all them allegedly killed a Bakersfield man with a single punch to the pinnacle, in response to court docket paperwork. A decide is anticipated to determine Thursday whether or not sufficient proof exists to ship the defendants — Raymond Cunanan, Dominic Guardado and Logan Winterton — to trial on fees that modify for every individual and vary from dissuading a witness to homicide.
Cody Salfen, a protection lawyer for Cunanan, criticized the Santa Clara County District Legal professional’s Workplace for being “keen to show a blind eye to what’s blatant racism and blatant bias in policing,” including that prosecutors’ determination to place Lenderman on the stand “defies logic” and “taints the properly.”
If something, the choice to rely so closely on Lenderman presents dangers for prosecutors, mentioned Steven Clark, a former Santa Clara County prosecutor.
“Normally you need your specialists to be squeaky clear, as a result of the entire challenge is credibility,” mentioned Clark, now a non-public lawyer and authorized analyst. “You need them to be believed by the jury, and also you don’t need to name an skilled who’s going to be dismantled on cross examination in the event you don’t must.”
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