Wright County, Iowa- A client, who is part of a motorcycle club, was riding his motorcycle with friends outside of Clarion, Iowa in April 2020. The group came upon a fellow rider wearing a patch on his jacket that the client’s group was unfamiliar with, so the group asked if they could talk about his patches. The riders stopped at a gas station, where an argument ensued between one of the riders and the individual motorcyclist, who was an off duty police officer. The group ended up leaving but not before the off-duty officer called 911. The officer indicated that the individual had harassed him. Based upon this report, and the fact that the group of riders were part of a “notorious” motorcycle club, local law enforcement in conjunction with the tri-county task force and the ATF, sought warrants for all the riders’ homes. Multiple items that were lawfully possessed were seized by officers. The State charged all of the riders with criminal gang participation, which are felony charges carrying potential prison time. After taking depositions of the witnesses involved, the defense attorneys were successful in illustrating that the charges were bogus and that the riders were likely to prevail at trial. The charges were dismissed against all defendants with costs assessed to the State and the client’s property was returned.
