Category: Gangs in the news…

Naples Man Arrested for Murder in Connection to Fatal Portland Shooting

BY EDWARD TOMIC THE MAINE WIRE AUGUST 9, 2024

https://www.themainewire.com/2024/08/naples-man-arrested-for-murder-in-connection-to-fatal-portland-shooting/

After more than a week of investigating without an arrest, Portland Police announced on Friday that they have arrested a 47-year-old man from Naples in connection to the fatal July 30 shooting near Morrill’s Corner on Forest Avenue.

Police say a warrant was issued on Thursday for the arrest of Aaron Karp, 47, of Naples, for the charge of murdering 52-year-old Susan McHugh of Gray.

Karp surrendered after learning of the arrest warrant and was taken into custody at the Portland Police Station that evening, police say.

He is being held at the Cumberland County Jail with no bail.

According to Karp’s Facebook page, he is a tattoo artist at Almost Famous Tattoos & Piercing, which is on Forest Avenue in Portland near the site of the July 30 shooting.

Several photos on Karp’s Facebook page also appear to indicate that he is a member of the Maine chapter of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club, which is considered a criminal organization by the U.S. Department of Justice.
“I’d like to thank our investigators who worked so diligently on the case to enable us to make an arrest,” said Portland Police Chief Mark Dubois. “Their tireless efforts to bring the perpetrator to justice are a testament to the hard work they do each and every day.”

“This is just the beginning, as we will continue to work with the Office of the Maine Attorney General to build our case as we look for justice for Ms. McHugh,” Dubois added.

McHugh was one of four people injured in the July 30 shooting that were taken to the hospital.
She later died as a result of a gunshot wound, and her death was ruled a homicide after an autopsy by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

Three other people injured in the shooting, a 45-year-old adult male of New Hampshire, a 48-year-old adult male from Yarmouth and a 51-year-old adult male of Gray also taken to Maine Medical Center for treatment and have since been released, police said.
Portland Police said Friday that while no further details on the case are being released at this time, the investigation remains “very active.”

“I also want to acknowledge the frustration many have felt with a perceived lack of transparency when it comes to this case,” said Chief Dubois.

“As I’ve mentioned before, our top priority in every case is to make sure the individuals responsible are brought to justice,” Dubois said. “At times, this includes not providing details to the public that some may seem benign, but in the reality of the case, are very much not benign.”

“We appreciate everyone’s understanding when it comes to this matter,” he added. “I also want to thank all of the agencies that have assisted us at the scene that night as well as with the ensuing investigation.”

Meth probe tied to Pagan’s Motorcycle Club results in 15 people indicted

By Buzz Trexler Elizabethton Star Tennessee August 8, 2024
Read more at: https://www.elizabethton.com/2024/08/08/meth-probe-tied-to-pagans-motorcycle-club-results-in-15-people-indicted/

State law enforcement agencies carried out a monthslong methamphetamine investigation that has resulted in 15 indictments, including two people tied to the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club, according to a Thursday release from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

According to the release, special agents in TBI’s Drug Investigation Division and agents with the 5th Judicial District Drug Task Force in December began investigating the sale of large quantities of methamphetamine in Knox County and surrounding areas.

Along the way, agents developed information that Richard Carroll Baker, 45, of Knoxville, a member of the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club, was leading the distribution efforts.

The release said another club member, Brian Batson Fox, 58, of Dandridge, and numerous other individuals assisted Baker in distributing illegal narcotics throughout East Tennessee. Baker was charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to sell, deliver, or manufacture 300 grams or more of methamphetamine and three counts of sale/delivery of 26 grams or more of methamphetamine. Fox was charged with intent to sell, deliver, or manufacture 300 grams or more of methamphetamine.

Also indicted on charges of intent to sell, deliver, or manufacture 300 grams or more of methamphetamine were David Eugene Maples 45, of Knoxville; Joseph Shane Moore, 47, of Strawberry Plains; Larry Douglas Bradford, 53, of Knoxville; Erin Elizabeth Wright, also known as Erin Fleenor, 42, of Knoxville; Deidre Nicole Hood, 37, of Knoxville; Connie Sue High, 40, of Knoxville; Jill Marie Jones, 44, of Knoxville; LeAndrea Faye Osentoski, 50, of Knoxville; Alicia Mae Kristen Murphy, 37, of Knoxville; Bettina Clara Godwin, 41, of Knoxville; Charles Richard Robertson Jr., 63, of Knoxville; and Courtney Janene Lewis, 44, of Powell.

The TBI release said Knox County Sheriff’s Office, 9th Judicial District Drug Task Force, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are assisting with the investigation, which remains ongoing.

Pagan’s MC ‘Outlaw Gang’ According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club is recognized by law enforcement as an “Outlaw Motorcycle Gang.” A September 2020 report by the New Jersey State Commission of Investigation said the club was originally founded in 1959 as a fellowship of 13 motorcyclists in Prince George’s County, Maryland. The group evolved into a more formal organization in the 1960s and eventually joined other biker clubs in “embracing the criminal outlaw motorcycle gang philosophy.”

The report maintains the Pagans are considered by law enforcement to be among the largest and most crime-prone outlaw motorcycle gangs in the country, along with the Hells Angels, Outlaws, Bandidos and Sons of Silence.
In April, a Wilmington, N.C., jury found Pagan’s Motorcycle Club member John Wolfe guilty on several charges, including first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit a felony, and use of a firearm in commission of a felony. According to media reports, testimony revealed the victim had been in an intimate relationship with Wolfe’s partner Megan Ball.

In February 2023, Christopher Lamar Baker, 49, a Raleigh-based national leader of the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club, was sentenced to 900 months in prison following his conviction by a jury in September 2022 for drug trafficking, as well as firearm and money laundering charges.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for Eastern District of North Carolina said in a release at the time that Baker was a “13” in the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club prior to his November 2021 arrest by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF). This designation means that he was one of only 13 national leaders.
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Biker gang bust marks latest success in East TN drug crackdown

by: Dominic Webster WATE News 6 Knoxville Tennessee Aug 8, 2024
https://www.wate.com/news/top-stories/biker-gang-bust-marks-latest-success-in-east-tn-drug-crackdown/

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Members of a motorcycle gang were arraigned in court Thursday morning. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation held a press conference announcing the more than a dozen people put behind bars.
TBI Director David Rausch did not mince words when talking about the Pagan Motorcycle Gang.

“Let me be clear, they are nothing more than a criminal organization made up of cowardly thugs,” Rausch said.
Fourteen people have been arrested and 15 face felony drug distribution charges related to methamphetamine sales in East Tennessee. Not all involved have a tie to the gang.

Several of those who were in custody appeared in court including the suspected leader of the gang, Richard Carroll Baker. He was joined in court by Deidre Hood, Courtney Lewis, David Maples, LeAndrea Osentoski, Alicia Murphy and Connie High. Rausch said our area is now safer with them off the streets.

“They prey on the vulnerable in our communities,” he said. “Because of the outstanding work of the women and men in policing, the local and state officers involved, our surrounding communities in Knoxville are now safer.”
The investigation started in December of last year as a spin-off of the 313 Initiative, a multi-agency effort to disrupt the supply of drugs from Detroit coming to the region. However, Rausch said investigators believe the narcotics in this case came from Atlanta.

“During the course of the investigation, agents learned that members of the Pagan Motorcycle club were involved in this distribution ring,” Knox County Attorney General Charme Allen said. “In this particular incident, gang members were wearing their cuts and vests while distributing drugs and collecting drug debts here in the East Tennessee area.”

Rausch said more charges could be coming as this investigation continues.

“These operations always lead to more interest and more information,” he said. “There’s always potential for more arrests to be made as a result of what we have learned in this case.”

Rausch also told 6 News there were other drugs involved in this investigation. However, Methamphetamine was their drug of choice. Twelve of those arrested have been arraigned in Knox County court. At this time the groups next court date has not been announced.

Security worker with links to Mongols loses licence after offering to be on PM’s guard detail

Jeremy Wilkinson Open Justice multimedia journalist, Palmerston North New Zealand August 2, 2024
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/security-worker-with-links-to-mongols-loses-licence-after-offering-to-be-on-pms-guard-detail/ONBBRJZ5MZCENJ7PCQICBKSJV4/

A security guard with links to the Mongols Motorcycle Club wrote to then-Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern offering to join her security team.

John Doherty also emailed the police with a proposal that he go undercover and conduct private investigations on their behalf.

However, Doherty didn’t hold a private investigator’s licence despite advertising extensively on social media that he was about to start his own security business.

“From Mobile and Static Security Patrols to Guard services, Cash and Bank Deliveries, and specialised security solutions for Weddings, Events, Functions, and more, Boulder Bank Security is your one-stop destination for premium protection,” that advertisement read.

Doherty even sent it directly to the police and to the Private Security Personnel Licensing Authority, which administers the kinds of licence that Doherty didn’t possess.

What he had was a Certificate of Approval that qualifies a person to work in positions such as a security guard or parking warden.

Despite the authority reminding Doherty that he needed a separate licence to run a security business, he continued to advertise on Facebook.

However, it was his links to the Mongols Motorcycle Club, a notorious criminal gang, that first called into question his suitability to hold even a Certificate of Approval and saw police apply for the authority to cancel it.

At a hearing held last month, Doherty was called on to explain his links to the gang, which he applied to join in 2022.

He described the members of the chapter as “clean-cut moderates” and said he wanted to join only for the camaraderie of a joint interest in American motorcycles.

He insisted that the Mongols were a club rather than a gang.

He told the authority that his first contact with the club was to discuss siting two containers on the land surrounding its clubhouse, installing 24-hour lighting and hydroponic systems to grow berries and capsicums.

“Mr Doherty’s view of the Mongols and his association with them is at best naive,” authority head Trish McConnell said in her recently released ruling.

“It is not reasonable for anyone to think that such a horticultural system at a gang clubhouse would only be used for growing vegetables and berries.”

McConnell said that, if police and the Private Security Personnel Licensing Authority had known about his association with the gang, he would never have been granted his last licence.

Along with Doherty’s connection to the Mongols, police raised concerns about an email he sent to Ardern in 2021 offering to be part of her security detail.

A police officer who spoke to him about that email said he appeared to be “delusional”, while Doherty claimed he was merely aiming high.

The same year he was involved in a drunken car crash from which he fled. He was also served with a harassment notice from police after becoming infatuated with a 17-year-old girl.

He then accused the police of “hounding” him over his association with the Mongols and of abusing their powers.
“I am capable of rubbing shoulders with gang members without going over to the dark side,” he said.

“It’s a case of honour amongst thieves, all of the Mongols were absolute gentlemen to each other and to me. I made it clear I was there for the camaraderie and the (nothing but American) motorcycles, not for illicit purposes.”

Doherty said he would visit the Mongols’ clubhouse bar for a drink on a Friday but had no intention of engaging in the criminal side of the organisation.

“I made it clear that, if I saw any criminal activity, then I would be out.

“From my side of things, I know my association was an innocent one and that was good enough for me.”
In regards to his offer to work in Ardern’s security detail, he said he felt he could have been useful.
“I think police saw themselves on one side of the fence and viewed me as being on the other side and didn’t consider whether I could be useful or not.”

Despite his insistence that it wasn’t necessary to cancel his security licence, that’s exactly what the Private Security Personnel Licensing Authority opted to do.

“I accept Mr Doherty no longer associates with the Mongols,” McConnell said in her ruling. “However, I do not accept his assurances that he will not in future associate with any other outlaw motorcycle gang given his insistence that such groups are clubs and not gangs and his failure to accept that such an association is not appropriate for a certificate holder.

“I also accept the police submission that Mr Doherty’s inability to accept such things as emailing the Prime Minister, offering his services to police to go undercover, and harassing a 17-year-old woman are not appropriate and his claim that he was only doing his civil duty raises questions about Mr Doherty’s fitness to be a security guard and his mental health in general.”

McConnell found Doherty guilty of misconduct and not suitable to hold a certificate of approval because of that.
“Mr Doherty still refuses to accept that he has done anything wrong, and he says it is the authority and police who are out of touch with normal behaviour and reality and not him.”

Jeremy Wilkinson is an Open Justice reporter based in Manawatū covering courts and justice issues with an interest in tribunals. He has been a journalist for nearly a decade and has worked for NZME since 2022.

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Hells Angels: Prosecutor’s motion to get DNA samples from four defendants approved
• By MELANIE NGUYEN mnguyen@bakersfield.com Jul 30, 2024

bakersfield.com/news/hells-angels-prosecutors-motion-to-get-dna-samples-from-four-defendants-approved/article_c47e4a2c-4ebb-11ef-98ce-0f40c1533b29.html

Four members of Bakersfield’s Hells Angels will give DNA samples to the prosecutor after a judge approved a motion Tuesday in Kern County Superior Court.

The prosecutor, Deputy District Attorney Jordan Houle, submitted a motion to request DNA from Ricardo Alvarez, 42, Armando Villasenor, 54, Joshua Zavala, 31, and Joshua Vaughn, 37, to test against items seized during the service of a search warrant.

Motorcycle Gang Member Busted in North Carolina Drug Trafficking Operation

Shore Bews Breaking Local News Report July 27, 2024
https://www.shorenewsnetwork.com/2024/07/27/motorcycle-gang-member-busted-in-north-carolina-drug-trafficking-operation/

WILMINGTON, N.C. – Ted Cannon, known as “Bam,” a member of the Georgia-based Ghostface Gangster group, was sentenced to 360 months in prison today for his involvement in a major drug trafficking operation.Share
Cannon was convicted of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute a significant amount of methamphetamine, aiding a Raleigh-based organization connected to a national leader of the Pagan Motorcycle Club. He entered a guilty plea on November 29, 2023.

The operation led to the conviction of 20 defendants, including a severe 75-year sentence for the drug trafficking organization’s leader. U.S. Attorney Michael Easley emphasized the strategic dismantling of this network, which significantly impacted drug distribution across Raleigh and the East Coast.

ATF Special Agent in Charge Bennie Mims highlighted the agency’s role in disrupting criminal activities, focusing on the most dangerous drug and firearm traffickers. The case against Cannon detailed his supply of methamphetamine, cocaine, MDMA, other drugs, and firearms to Christopher Baker, a key figure previously convicted for similar offenses.

A pivotal moment in the investigation occurred in July 2021 when a federal wiretap revealed Cannon’s plans to sell firearms to Baker, leading to a raid on Cannon’s residence where authorities seized numerous weapons and drugs. Cannon was arrested later in 2021 in Georgia, found with approximately 800 grams of crystal methamphetamine.

Multi-year probe into Hells Angels puppet club in Kamloops ends with 12 year sentence for ex-full patch member

Zale Coty, 54 and an ex-full patch member of the Throttle Lockers Motorcycle Club, is the last in a trio to be sentenced for his role in a large-scale drug trafficking operation

Stephanie Ip Vancouver Sun (British Columbia Canada)July 22, 2024
https://vancouversun.com/news/hells-angels-kamloops-throttle-lockers-sentencing

A multi-year drug trafficking investigation to take down members of a Hells Angels puppet club in Kamloops has finally come to an end. Zale Coty, 54, and an ex-full patch member of the Throttle Lockers Motorcycle Club, is the last in a trio to be sentenced for his role in a large-scale drug trafficking operation that had targeted the Kamloops region for expansion.

In April of this year, Coty pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic fentanyl and was finally sentenced last week to 12 years in prison along with a 10-year firearms and weapons prohibition.

According to the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of B.C., the Kamloops RCMP launched an investigation in 2017 after receiving information that led them to believe a Kamloops-based criminal organization was serving as a support group for the Kelowna chapter of the Hells Angels.

Anti-gang investigators believed the support group was trying to expand a drug trafficking operation into the Kamloops area.

Zale Coty, Hells Angels associate and member of the Throttle Lockers biker gang, on the right with other members of the Okanagan Throttle Lockers.

The CFSEU was tapped in 2018 to lead the probe and identified several prospective members of the Throttle Lockers who were actively trafficking drugs in the Kamloops area.

In November 2019, the execution of three search warrants led to the arrest of three individuals, as well as charges relating to the trafficking operation.

Shawn William Carlisle, 49, and an ex-full patch member of the Throttle Lockers, pleaded guilty in late 2022 to one count of trafficking cocaine and one of trafficking marijuana. In early 2023, he was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison.

Competency evaluation ordered for member of dangerous motorcycle gang

By WHIO Staff July 23, 2024
https://www.whio.com/news/local/competency-evaluation-ordered-member-dangerous-motorcycle-gang/Q5KPUKHCPND 4LPJPVXJF25QMFI/

DAYTON — A competency evaluation has been ordered for a member of the Thug Riders Motorcycle Club (TRMC), the dangerous motorcycle gang that had 14 members arrested on federal charges last month.

Last week, attorneys for Brandon Fisher, 26, of Piqua, filed a motion for a competency evaluation and medical care, according to federal court documents.

Fisher’s defense team said he was shot in the head twice in April and has since dealt with “daily seizures, hallucinations, depression, and anxiety.” His attorneys also claimed Fisher “is not receiving the ongoing medical care he needs, especially regular medication and neurological treatment.”

On Thursday, Judge Michael J. Newman granted Fisher’s motion for the evaluation.

“The Court finds reasonable cause to believe the Defendant Fisher may suffer from a mental disease or defect that rendered him mentally incompetent at the time of the charged offenses, which may render him mentally incompetent to understand and assist with his defense prior to and during trial,” court documents state.

>> PREVIOUS COVERAGE: ‘Dealt a serious blow;’ Federal agents arrest high-ranking members of dangerous motorcycle gang

The order also noted that Fisher suffers from severe medical problems, including short-term and long-term memory problems, as a result of the gunshots to his head.

As News Center 7 previously reported, Fisher, also known as “Road Runner,” was one of 14 members of the TRMC who were arrested and indicted on federal charges in June. The members of the gang were arrested as part of coordinated raids across four states.

Investigators claim the TRMC’s members and their associates engaged in criminal acts, including murder, arson, assault, extortion, and identity fraud.

Police make three arrests at very tidy motorcycle gang clubhouse

Images released by the OPP reveal a space that looks more like a tidy suburban rec room than the headquarters of a criminal organization

Chris Knight National Post July 24, 2024
https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/police-arrests-oakville-motorcycle-clubhouse

Police in Ontario have arrested and charged three members of the Bacchus Motorcycle Club in connection with an auto theft investigation. They also recovered six stolen vehicles during the execution of multiple search warrants at the group’s Oakville clubhouse and other locations.

The Ontario Provincial Police released pictures taken inside the clubhouse, revealing a space that looks more like a tidy suburban rec room than the headquarters of a criminal organization.

One image shows a long wooden boardroom table flanked by a wall-hanging TV and a large black speaker. A second room is filled with black leather furniture and what appears to be a hand-knitted blanket. Both spaces are meticulously clean, with only a couple of water bottles and a bag of potato chips on one table. The rooms are decorated with large Bacchus banners. This is well organized crime.

Det. Insp. Scott Wade of the OPP told the National Post that there isn’t one standard style for motorcycle gang hangouts, but this one was more clean than most.

“I’ve been in some clubhouses that are spotless like your home, and some so disgusting you wouldn’t want to set your foot in them,” he said. However, he notes that “everyone has a picture of something dirtier and messier.”
Police do not release the addresses of clubhouses, but Wade noted this one was on a “rural property,” adding: “Every clubhouse is different.”

In June of 2023, the OPP-led Biker Enforcement Unit (BEU) received information that members of Bacchus were in possession of stolen vehicles that had been “re-vinned” with fraudulent vehicle identification numbers, or VINs.
Then on Nov. 16, 2023, BEU members executed search warrants in Burlington, Orangeville, Etobicoke, Hamilton and Mississauga in Ontario, as well Paradise, a town just outside St. John’s, Nfld. A search warrant was also executed at Bacchus’s clubhouse in Oakville. In addition to the six vehicles, police recovered ownerships, insurance, key fobs and fraudulent VIN plates.

As a result of the investigation, three people were arrested and charged on July 2.

Chad Burtt of Oakville has been charged with possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000; fraudulent concealment; and fraud over $5,000. Robert Janes of Oakville faces three counts of possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000; and two counts of fraudulent concealment. And Alan Miles of Amaranth, Ont., has been charged with possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000.

The accused are scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Orangeville on July 30, 2024.
Wade said two of the accused are “full-patch” or senior-level members of the gang, while the third is an “associate” or probationary member. “Full-patch members are not restricted in any way,” he added. “They use a graduated process.”

The multi-force operation, code-named Project ABSTRACT, included assistance from the Caledon OPP Community Street Crime Unit, the OPP-led Provincial Auto Theft and Towing Team, Hamilton Police Service, Halton Regional Police Service Tactical Rescue Unit, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in St John’s.

The OPP-led Provincial Asset Forfeiture Unit and the Équité Association also assisted throughout the investigation, playing a significant role in disrupting this criminal activity.

Lest the kempt nature of the clubhouse lull anyone into thinking its users are equally respectable, the OPP offers this description of Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs, or OMGs: “While the majority of motorcycle enthusiasts are law abiding, OMGs are criminal organizations whose activities cause harm and victimization in communities across Ontario. OMGs have been known to participate in illegal, profit-driven activities such as fraud, drug trafficking, extortion, intimidation, and murder.”

Federal agents make arrest involving Bandidos Motorcycle Club

Jul 24, 2024 Nick Catlin Digital Editor

https://www.koat.com/article/new-mexico-federal-arrest-bandidos-motorcycle-club/61693454

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. —
The FBI Albuquerque Division confirmed an investigation and arrest involving the Bandidos Motorcycle Club.

A violent gang task force, which includes FBI special agents, was in the area of Fourth Street and Guadalupe Trail NW on Wednesday evening, July 24

An arrest warrant was executed in connection to the investigation into the Bandidos. Several firearms were recovered from the area, according to the FBI.

Target 7: VSP agent on leave after allegedly forging payment authorization for trial witness

Story by Isabella Ledonne WDBJ Roanoke Virginia 7/20/24
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/target-7-vsp-agent-on-leave-after-allegedly-forging-payment-authorization-for-trial-witness/ar-BB1qiWk1

ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. (WDBJ) – A Virginia State Police (VSP) special agent has been put on administrative leave after court documents revealed he paid a witness to testify in a Roanoke County criminal trial, but did not tell attorneys.

Special agent Steve Richardson allegedly paid a key witness thousands of dollars for testifying against a man on trial for a shooting, and the outcome of the guilty verdict was therefore changed.

A Roanoke County judge ruled the verdict is to be set aside. Now, the court is waiting for the Commonwealth to respond, while Richardson is being investigated for potential criminal charges.

In September 2022, Tyler Keith Jones was on trial for shooting a man while driving on I-81 in Roanoke County near mile marker 137. The man suffered from serious injuries, but survived.

Lane Thomas was formerly associated with Jones’ motorcycle gang and testified against him in court. Documents state Thomas claimed he was testifying because it was the “right thing to do.”

Jones was later found guilty of malicious wounding.

After the trial ended in March, Jones’ attorney made a motion to set aside the jury’s verdict because of Brady violations. That’s when there was evidence favorable to the defendant that was not presented before the trial.

Legal expert Sheila Moheb from Moheb Legal Defense in Roanoke explained that can change the outcome.
“[That] essentially is saying the verdict was tainted by that failure to disclose,” Moheb said.

According to payment receipts, Richardson paid Thomas $2,500 for testifying and providing confidential information, on top of nearly $8,000 for moving and other living expenses during the trial. Richardson allegedly forged his supervisors signature to authorize the payments, according to the documents, and is now the subject of a criminal investigation.

The Commonwealth’s Attorneys didn’t tell the defense Thomas received payment and promise of leniency in his own criminal charges in West Virginia for testifying against Jones.

Moheb explained that violates due process.

“If there’s evidence that one of their [the Commonwealth’s] witnesses is in fact motivated by some ulterior purpose to testify against me, if I’m the accused, then that goes to whether or not I’m having a fundamentally fair trial.”
Now that a judge has set aside the verdict because the defense’s ability to cross examine Thomas was impaired during the trial, there will either be a new trial or Jones’ indictment will be dismissed.

“Moving to dismiss the indictment would would be one of the most severe sanctions that could be imposed for Brady violations,” Moheb said.

After Jones’ attorney filed several motions alleging constitutional violations, the Commonwealth agreed during the hearing to set aside the judge’s verdict.

“This really is kind of an outlier of a case,” Moheb said. “It’s not commonly seen in the Valley, so that’s why it’s probably as disheartening as it is.”

Jones is still in custody, even though his guilty verdict was set aside.

His next hearing is scheduled for the end of August, when the Commonwealth is expected to have a response to the defense’s request to dismiss the indictment.

As for special agent Richardson, he is on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the criminal investigation and VSP’s internal investigation.
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Man found guilty of I-81 shooting
By Pat Thomas and Kaitlyn Dillon WDBJ March 8, 2024

https://www.wdbj7.com/2024/03/08/man-found-guilty-i-81-shooting/

ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. (WDBJ) – A West Virginia man has been found guilty of a shooting along I-81 in Roanoke County.
Tyler K. Jones, 29, was convicted March 7, 2024 of shooting into an occupied vehicle, attempted malicious wounding, aggravated malicious wounding, and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.

Virginia State Police say the incident occurred about 6:35 p.m. Sept. 11, 2022. Jones was driving a motorcycle northbound on I-81 when he fired several rounds toward the back of a pickup.

The driver of the truck was shot and taken to a Carilion Roanoke Memorial for treatment of serious injuries.
According to a warrant obtained by WDBJ7, Jones fired at the driver after he had merged into his lane. A confidential source expressed to police that Jones was traveling with the Warlocks and Wrecking Crew outlaw motorcycle gangs.

The source also stated the truck driver did not do anything to provoke Jones, who shot at the pickup for seemingly no reason.

The warrant states officers were notified of a Warlocks and Wrecking Crew gathering at an Exxon Station in Natural Bridge. Virginia State Police obtained the security footage from the gas station and saw Jones receiving a different pair of clothes from an active member of the Warlocks Crew in order to conceal his identity.

Jones was arrested and charged the following January.