Franks Biker News May 29th archive

Motorcyclist badly hurt in crash with trooper's car -  New Hampshire Union Leader - A Rollinsford man is hospitalized in serious condition this morning after his motorcycle collided with a state police cruiseron the Spaulding Turnpike in Rochester.
Dave E. Laroche, 54, of 112 Rollins Road, was flown by helicopter to Maine Medical Center in Portland.
The accident took place shortly before 5:30 p.m. Monday on a two-lane stretch of the busy highway, which was clogged with visitors returning home from a long holiday weekend, Rochester Fire Capt. William Hoyt said.
For about 45 minutes, police had to limit traffic to one lane around the accident scene, alternating north and southbound traffic.
"I couldn't see the end of the southbound traffic," said Hoyt, who was on the scene.
Hoyt said Laroche, who landed in the middle of the road, was conscious while rescue workers tended to him and loaded him onto the helicopter transport. His abdomen appeared to have a serious injury.
State police said the cruiser was operated by Trooper First Class Elizabeth Keyes of Troop A.
The damage was to the left rear quarter panel of the cruiser, Hoyt said. He said the motorcyclist was heading north, but otherwise he was unsure of what happened.
"We tried to figure it out, but I don't know who was doing what," he said.
The motorcycle was a Yamaha.
He said the accident took place about a mile south of the Milton town line. At that point, the highway is a two-lane road with breakdown lanes on either side and a rumble strip in the middle.
The accident is under investigation by Sgt. Daniel C. Berridge. Anyone with information should contact him at 679-3333.

AP challenges seal in LA biker gang case - Ventura County Star - LOS ANGELES — LOS ANGELES (AP) - The Associated Press on Wednesday challenged a federal judge's decision to seal plea agreements in a case against dozens of motorcycle gang members indicted last year on drug trafficking, murder and other charges.
U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper agreed to keep the names of the guilty and the terms of the agreements secret. Prosecutors requested the move, saying the defendants faced possible retaliation by other Mongol gang members for agreeing to plead guilty.
In challenging the decision, Associated Press attorney David Tomlin said the public deserves to know the outcomes of the cases. He said if there's a legitimate reason to keep the information secret then supporting evidence should be presented in open court.
"We want a chance to argue that if any sealing was really necessary, the public still should know more than it does about who pleaded guilty to what and the penalties imposed," Tomlin said.
The racketeering indictment filed in October against 79 Mongol members alleges the gang engaged in murder, torture and drug trafficking to achieve its goals. Prosecutors declined to say how many people pleaded guilty and to what charges.
On Tuesday, Cooper ruled any further plea agreements filed with her must show evidence that the defendant faces retaliation or other danger.
Attorneys for 34 defendants opposed the government's position, saying details about the plea agreements are vital to their clients' defense.
While it's likely that some of those who plead guilty are cooperating with federal prosecutors for a lighter sentence, some legal experts believe the public's right to know could have been overlooked in this case.
"The net effect of sealing these records is to render them unavailable to the press, public and defense," said attorney Douglas Mirell, who specializes in First Amendment cases. "It seems to me that in order to demonstrate there is a compelling interest justifying the sealing, the government is obligated to overcome the impact that sealing has on all three of those constituencies."