Alleged bikie pleads guilty to murder - ABC
Online - An alleged member of the Rebels Motorcycle Club has
pleaded guilty to murdering his partner two years ago.
The body of 30-year-old Natasha Marie Jones was found in her Para Hills
home in Adelaide in January 2007, but her cause of death has never been
publicly revealed.
Her partner Edward Christopher Yost was arrested days later after a
siege which lasted almost 24 hours.
Yost has also pleaded guilty to 11 sex offences involving an underage
girl in 2002.
Yost will face court again in September.
Probe continues in Pico Rivera triple-fatal shooting -
Pasadena Star-News - PICO RIVERA -
Detectives tried to make sense Sunday of a pizza parlor shooting that
left three men dead and seven people wounded during a charity
fundraiser.
The names of those killed were not released Sunday evening pending
notification of family members, coroner's officials said. Two of the
dead men were cousins.
The attack occurred about 6:45 p.m. on Saturday in front of Falcone's
Pizza, at 9247 Slauson Ave.
Officials believe the Old School Riders motorcycle club was holding a
charity event in the eatery's parking lot when a man opened fire.
"(He was) firing wildly into the crowd," said Detective Joe Sheehy of
the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Homicide Bureau, which is investigating
the shooting.
The gunman, described as Latino, was last seen getting into the
passenger side of a dark-colored vehicle with a waiting driver, Sheehy
said. The car sped away west on Slauson Avenue.
No further description of the gunman was available Sunday.
Three victims were pronounced dead at the scene. Additionally, four men
and three women were hospitalized, but all were expected to survive
their injuries, Sheehy said.
About a dozen children were present when the shooting occurred, Sheehy
said. "It was very lucky no kids were hit."
It was unclear Sunday what motivated the attack, which appeared to be
unprovoked, Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Byron Ward said in a
written statement.
Sheehy declined to say if additional gunmen may have been involved.
"That's something we're going to have to hold back for right now," he
said.
Officials said detectives were sifting through footage on surveillance
tapes from nearby businesses. About 40 witnesses inside the pizza parlor
had been interviewed Saturday night.
Sheehy said the Old School Riders has no gang affiliation, and Falcone's
Pizza is not a gang hangout.
While some witnesses said the shooting may have involved members of the
Mongols motorcycle gang, Sheehy said he did not believe anyone attending
the party Saturday was a Mongol.
"If this was (an attack) against Mongols, it was definitely a case of
mistaken identity," Sheehy said.
"Friends, family members, that's who was attending this," he added.
"That's about all it is."
Falcone's Pizza was open for business Sunday, but an on-duty manager
declined to comment. A memorial of flowers and candles stood in the
parking lot.
A stray bullet Saturday had pierced the window in front of the
playground area of a nearby McDonald's restaurant, but no one was
injured. By Sunday, the window had been replaced and the business was
also open.
Rey Castillo, 52, of Highland Park said his daughter's boyfriend, Gerret
Dandini, and Dandini's cousin, Tony Dandini, were among the dead.
He said the two were members of the Old School Riders club - which he
described as a group of motorcyclists who enjoy riding together and
raising money for charity.
"The club's just family and friends," Castillo said. "All they want to
do is ride together and have fun."
Attempts to reach the Old School Riders were unsuccessful Sunday.
The group's Web site, www.oldschoolriders.com, described its members as
"ordinary people who enjoy the freedom of riding."
"No one represents any club," a statement on the site read. "We are just
friends and family who gather together and ride."
A flier on the Web site advertised Saturday's event as "Bike Night," and
indicated there would be awards for best motorcycles, a raffle and
security.
Sheehy said detectives needed witnesses to step forward and identify
suspects.
"We'd like to ask for the public's assistance in helping solve this
one," he said.
Motorcyclists will ride for charity - Deseret
News - LOGAN — Motorcyclists are invited to participate in a
100-mile charity ride to benefit local children with special needs.
The local ride is set for Sunday, July 5, and will begin and end at the
south pavilion at Merlin Olson Park. The event is being held in
conjunction with the eighth annual Alaska Motorcycle Charity Run that
goes from Florida to Alaska and back.
Riders will head north to Preston at 3 p.m. and bike across Emigration
Canyon to the north end of Bear Lake. There they will meet up with 10
riders from across the United States.
The initial leg of the trip will begin July 1 in St. Augustine, Fla.,
and end there a month later. The group of riders is being led for the
fifth time by Mike Tuccelli, a deaf professor at the University of
Florida.
Proceeds benefit the SKI-HI Institute at Utah State University, whose
mission is to enhance the lives of young children with sensory
disabilities and their families. Pledges and registration information,
as well as details about the ride, can be found at
skihi.org .
Hundreds enjoy poker run, pig roast in Dartmouth -
South Coast Today - DARTMOUTH — For a
change, it did not rain Sunday on Dartmouth Building Supply's annual
poker run and pig roast that benefits cystic fibrosis.
Rain has been an unwelcomed visitor at four of the six previous poker
runs and roasts held at DBS' lumber yard on Reed Road. Last year, the
event was a complete washout.
This year, Ron Geary, the organizer of the fundraiser, moved the date
from the first Sunday in May to the last Sunday in June to improve the
odds for sunny weather.
And while Sunday was not sunny, it did not rain.
But, Geary said, the morning's overcast skies and the threat of showers
kept the number of motorcycle riders down.
"A lot of people don't like riding in the rain," he said. "I just wish
it had been sunny at 6:30 when people wake up."
About 300 motorcycles and between 100 and 200 other vehicles made the
90-mile poker run from DBS to Plymouth Rock and back again.
"Considering the weather, we had a really good turnout," Geary said.
He was grateful for the turnout, explaining they were also competing
against several other poker runs in the region and the air show at
Quonset Point in Rhode Island.
"It was a beautiful ride. The last leg we thought we would get wet,"
said Joe Delgado, the owner of DBS, who made the ride.
The daylong poker run and pig roast is held in memory of Jenn Wing,
Geary's stepdaughter, who died in 2001 at age 23 from the disease.
The pig roast, which awaits participants at the end of the ride, was a
hit once again, Geary said.
"The meal was great, as usual," he said, explaining they fed more than
600 people.
The surplus food was donated to Market Ministries.
Geary, who is DBS' customer service representative, was optimistic the
event would raise a significant donation for the Cystic Fibrosis
Foundation.
However, he was unable to give an estimate Sunday on what it might be.
"I think we'll do all right," he said. "It's all for charity. That's why
we do it."
He said he will have a better idea in a couple of weeks, after all the
expenses to hold the event are tallied.
He said last year's event, which was "a complete wash-out," still raised
more than $25,000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Springs motorcyle officer injured in accident -
Examiner.com - A Colorado Springs motorcycle police officer
suffered a broken pelvis and leg after police say a motorists turned
left in front of him.
Thirty-nine-year-old Officer Steven Davis also suffered scrapes and
bruises in the Sunday afternoon accident. Police spokesman Lt. David
Whitlock says Davis was trying to catch up with another motorcycle that
had run a red light. He was not operating his emergency equipment.
Police did not immediately know how fast Davis or the car that turned in
front of him were going.
The driver of the car, 45-year-old Joseph Haymaker of Larned, Kan., was
cited for vehicles turning left and careless driving involving serious
injury. Neither Haymaker nor his two passengers were injured.
Bikers rally for injured Cape Coral police officer -
Cape Coral Daily Breeze - Victory Lane Cafe
in North Fort Myers was a scene of chrome and cacophony Saturday as
hundreds of motorcycles roared, with bikers gearing up for a ride
through Cape Coral to raise funds for the family of Damien Garcia, a
Cape Coral motorcycle police officer who was critically injured in an
accident on June 2.
Garcia was transported to a Miami hospital two weeks after he struck an
SUV that pulled in front of him on Cultural Park Boulevard. He remains
in critical condition.
Guided by a police escort, the bikers took a circuitous route before
arriving at Geo's off Pine Island Road, where they were greeted with
food and live music by Matter of Faith.
Cpl. Kurt Poteet, one of Garcia's instructors, praised him as a good
rider and officer, and applauded the outpouring of support.
"He was a great rider. In that whole class he was one of the above
average riders," Poteet said.
"It's really heartwarming to know the community is supporting one of our
officers," he added.
The rally's success helped some hold out hope for Garcia's recovery.
"We're hopeful each day is better for him," said Cape Coral
Councilmember Dolores Bertolini, who attended the event at Geo's but did
not ride.
"He's young, he's exuberant, he'll fight through this," she added.
Bertolini, whose son is a biker, said supporting each other through
tough times is a trait of the biking community.
"This is what riders do all over the country. If they know someone in
need they gather together for the cause," Bertolini said.
Saturday's fund-raiser is far from the last for Officer Garcia. A bucket
drive will be held at Lowe's Home Improvement Store on Pine Island Road
on July 4 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Man killed in Central Texas motorcycle wreck -
Waco Tribune Herald - A 53-year-old
Fairfield man is dead after flipping his motorcycle late Saturday.
Ricky Ray Thompson was driving his 2001 Harley-Davidson north on
Farm-to-Market Road 488, six miles north of Fairfield, when he was
unable to negotiate a left curve. He overcorrected and rolled several
times, a Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman said.
Thompson was not wearing a helmet and was pronounced dead at the scene
at 12:11 a.m. Sunday by Justice of the Peace Debra Hamilton.
Blessed be the bikers - Kennebec Journal -
GARDINER -- Getting your motorcycle blessed on a sunny day is one thing.
Coming out on a rainy day is another.
More than 70 bikers came to Christ Church on Sunday despite the rain to
take part in the second annual Blessing of the Bikes.
"Motorcycling is not really a safe occupation," said Gayle Gifford,
director of the American Legion Riders of Damariscotta. "It's more
dangerous in the rain."
Gifford, her husband Gerry, and five others rode up together from the
coast for the blessing.
"I was brought up in the church," Gayle Gifford said. "I just feel it's
a wonderful thing to be blessed."
The Rev. Jacob Fles, wearing a clerical collar, jeans and motorcycle
chaps, led a short ceremony of prayer and remembrance before he and
Deacon Gary Drinkwater officially blessed the bikes. The blessing
started last year as a way to remember the life of Pamela Morrill, who
enjoyed motorcycle rides with her partner, Ike McLaughlin.
"This all got started because I lost my queen Pamela," McLaughlin said.
"I can see the spirit is here for everyone."
Fles read the names of many "biker loved ones" who had died.
Drinkwater read the blessing, which includes these lines:
"You guided humankind to invent the motorcycle, and allow all to ride
through the beauty of your creation. O Lord, we humbly ask you to bless
our drivers and our machines. Protect all from danger."
Fles asked all the bikers to start their engines.
The bikers then individually received the blessing, with Drinkwater and
Fles using palm fronds to splash the bikers with a healthy does of holy
water as they rode by. The group was headed to Richmond for a barbecue.
Becky Fles, who is married to the Episcopal priest, said she plans to
get her motorcycle license someday soon.
"Bikers are great people," she said. "I see a group of bikers and I want
to be with them. It's a culture. They give to people. When have you ever
seen 100 cars gathering toys for children?"
Outer Loop crash kills Louisville motorcyclist -
Louisville Courier-Journal - A man was
killed early Sunday in a motorcycle accident on the Outer Loop.
The victim, Michel Hernandez, 28, was westbound just east of Minors Lane
about 5:15 a.m. when he lost control of his motorcycle, Louisville Metro
Police spokesman Dwight Mitchell said.
The motorcyclist hit the guardrail and died at the scene, Mitchell said.
It appeared that Hernandez, of 937 Westview Drive, was not wearing a
helmet, Mitchell said.
Authorities later said that Hernandez died of blunt force injuries.
Police haven't ruled out any potential factors in the crash, pending a
toxicology report, Mitchell said.
Motorcycles collide, killing 2 - News
Virginian - Two men riding Harley Davidson motorcycles were
killed Sunday afternoon after a head-on collision on Route 250 near
Route 629 in West Augusta, not far from the Highland County-Augusta
County line.
Virginia State Police report Michael Keith Neve, 51, of Midlothian, was
traveling east when his motorcycle crossed the center line around a
curve and hit a bike driven by Delbert “Buzzy” Walton Redman, Jr., 53,
of Troy.
Neve died at the scene at about 12:30 p.m. and Redman died shortly
before he was to be loaded into a helicopter bound for the University of
Virginia Medical Center, state police Sgt. Michael Rossetti said.
Speed was not a factor in the crash, but the role of alcohol or drugs
has not been determined, Rossetti said. Investigators spent much of the
afternoon piecing together the scene that spanned both sides of the
two-lane road.
Last month, in the same mile-long stretch, five people were injured,
including two seriously, when a westbound Toyota Tacoma collided into
three oncoming motorcycles. All involved survived.
The driver of the Tacoma, Sean Stanton, 33, of Monterey, was charged
with second-offense DUI in that crash.
Motorcyclist hurt near Lincoln City -
OregonLive.com - A Newport man suffered serious injuries in a
two-vehicle crash on Highway 101 three miles south of Lincoln City when
a car pulled onto the highway and into the path of his southbound
motorcycle.
Oregon State Police said a 1990 Honda Accord, driven by Tammie Baechler,
36, from Lincoln City, was attempting to turn northbound onto Highway
101 from North Glenden Beach Loop. A 2007 Yamaha motorcycle, driven by
Carlos Hernandez-San, was southbound approaching the North Gleneden
Beach Loop intersection.
Troopers said Baechler pulled out onto the highway and into the path of
Hernandez-San and the motorcycle struck the car near the left rear
quarter panel. Hernandez-San, who was wearing a helmet, was was
transported to North Lincoln Hospital for serious injuries.
Troopers said Baechler was cited for failure to obey a traffic control
device. Hernandez-San was cited for not having an operator's license and
driving without insurance.
Oneida man, 24, dies in Madison County motorcycle accident -
The Post-Standard - Syracuse, NY -- A 24-year-old
Oneida man died Sunday morning following a motorcycle crash on State
Route 26 in the town of Eaton, according to state police.
Troopers said they responded to the single-vehicle crash just before 11
a.m. They said David W. Cast II was driving west on State Route 26 when
he went off the road. His 2002 blue Yamaha motorcycle hit a drainage
ditch and then a culvert. Cast was ejected and landed in a ditch about
40 feet away.
He was taken by Eaton Ambulance to a helicopter landing zone in
Cazenovia, where he was airlifted by Mercy Flight to University
Hospital. Police said Cast died at the medical center.
No-helmet bill veto countdown: 15 days and counting -
St. Louis Post-Dispatch - Missouri Gov. Jay
Nixon did something a little weird last Thursday: He vetoed $33,000 from
the Department of Transportation’s budget to punish MoDOT for
commissioning a poll on Missourians’ attitudes about the Legislature’s
decision to lift the state law requiring motorcyclists to wear helmets.
We’ve had our differences with MoDOT’s director, Pete Rahn, but we think
an agency whose job includes keeping the highways safe was perfectly
within its rights to find out what the state’s citizens think about an
important issue of highway safety.
Last month Mr. Rahn said a telephone survey of 2,050 residents showed 84
percent of them support the current law requiring motorcyclists of all
ages to wear helmets. He said that National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration estimates that in 2007, the helmet law saved 42 lives in
Missouri.
“By a 9-to-1 ratio, Missourians know this simple fact: Motorcycle
helmets save lives,” Mr. Rahn said. He added, “This makes as much sense
as going out and ripping out median guard cables on our interstates. It
will have the same effect: More people will die on our roads.”
Some state lawmakers and “helmet freedom” advocates said the poll — and
Mr. Rahn’s advocacy — was an improper attempt to influence Mr. Nixon’s
decision about whether to veto the helmet law the Legislature enacted in
April. Lawmakers decided that motorcycle riders 21 and older could ditch
their helmets unless they are traveling on interstate highways.
Mr. Nixon agreed, whacking $33,000 from MoDOT’s budget (the amount the
poll cost), saying it was an inappropriate use of tax dollars to
influence a public official, i.e., him.
On Friday, a spokesman for the governor said that decision doesn’t mean
that Mr. Nixon has decided to sign the helmet-law repeal. The governor
has until July 14 to sign or veto the measure or take no action, thereby
allowing it to become law on Aug. 28.
The Missouri Highway Patrol says that some motorcycle riders, unaware of
the fine points of legislative procedure, already have removed their
helmets. The patrol’s public affairs office told the Associated Press
last week that troopers are reporting a large number of motorcyclists
riding bare-headed.
If the riders are confused now, just wait until their heads bounce off
the pavement a couple of times.
Newspapers around the state — including this editorial page — have
opposed lifting the helmet law and have urged Mr. Nixon to veto it. The
public knows that in addition to adding to the death toll, the costs of
caring for traumatic brain injury are huge. In most cases, those costs
will passed onto the general public.
If society bears the cost, society makes the decision. And that
decision, as we’ve said before, is a no brainer — veto it. And give back
MoDOT’s 33 grand.
Two Dead in Augusta County Motorcycle Crash -
WHSV - Two men are dead after a motorcycle
crash in West Augusta earlier today.
It happened on Shenandoah Mountain Drive about a half mile west of Route
629 Deerfield.
Police say the two motorcyclists were coming around a sharp turn in
opposite directions and hit head-on.
The front of one motorcycle was actually in pieces. The other was in the
embankment.
The man traveling eastbound, 51-year-old Michael Keith Neve, died
instantly.
The man driving west, whose name has not yet been released, actually
lost his foot and was being moved by an ambulance so he could be
airlifted out.
Unfortunately he died before reaching the local convenience store where
the helicopter was waiting.
Both bodies have been taken to Augusta Health.
You remember at the end of May another crash occurred in the exact same
spot.
Sergeant Michael Rossetti says people need to be careful driving in this
area.
"There's a very sharp curve coming around the corner here. Your
visibility is very limited, because you're not able to see exactly what
is in front of you. There's no room for margin of error," says Rossetti.
The crash is still under investigation.
Police say Neve crossed the double yellow lines. They say speed was not
a contributing factor. Whether drugs or alcohol were involved is still
unknown.
Hobe Sound man killed in accident - WPTV -
A Hobe Sound man died after apparently losing control of his motorcycle
shortly before 1 a.m. Sunday.
Charles E. Thompson, 42, was killed in the accident that occurred on
Southeast Seabranch Boulevard, about two miles west of U.S. 1, according
to a Florida Highway Patrol release.
Thompson was driving his 1986 Honda east on Southeast Seabranch
Boulevard when he reportedly lost control of the motorcycle, struck a
curb and traveled onto the grass median. The motorcycle then struck a
large tree and Thompson was thrown off, hitting a tree, according to the
report.
Ride honours memory of Canada's Vietnam dead -
Vancouver Sun - Windsor, Ont. — It took Angel Richardson 40 years
to speak publicly about her cousin's sacrifice during America's war in
Vietnam.
The Canadian-born woman, who now lives in Allen Park, Mich., stepped to
the microphone Sunday during the annual Run to the North Wall
commemoration, held at the Canadian Vietnam Veterans Memorial in
Windsor's Ambassador Park.
At first, she struggled to find the words, failing even to identify
herself to the 800 people in attendance.
"I have a family member on that wall," she said simply, her voice
shaking. "All of you bikers who helped do this, thank you. The people
whose names are on the wall are why we are here. But you are the people
who make it happen."
Her brief, emotional and impromptu statement stirred the crowd, made up
of motorcycle riders, U.S. Vietnam veterans, the Canadian veterans of a
war their country was not officially involved in and Canadian veterans
of all this country's conflicts, to applaud and cheer as she made her
way back to her seat for the wreath-laying ceremony.
"Gerald Young was my cousin," she said, in an interview afterward.
"He was from Nova Scotia and he went to Boston in 1967 to join the U.S.
military. He had three injuries and the last one, he stepped on a land
mine . . . It took me from 1969 until 1987 to visit that wall in
Washington. Because it hurt so much. But after, it was like a kind of
healing. All the boys' names are on there. It was almost like peace."
But something was missing, she said, because Canada had never
acknowledged her cousin's sacrifice. That changed in 1995 when a group
of Michigan Vietnam veterans, with the help of their former Canadian
brothers in arms, won city approval for the North Wall on Windsor's
waterfront.
"Canada was finally made to accept a boy who fought for freedom," said
Richardson. "I come over once a month to clean the memorial and make
sure that it's being cared for. For me, It's like closure."
The veterans and their motorcycle-riding supporters return each year,
flags and POW-MIA banners flying, to commemorate the more than 20,000
Canadians who joined the American military in the 1960s and early 1970s
to fight in Vietnam and the 103 who died during that controversial war.
Canadian Vietnam veteran Wayne Hillman, who helped organize the
ceremony, said more than 400 motorcyclists came from as far away as
Calgary, across the U.S. Midwest and Ontario to take part, along with
the more traditional veterans organizations.
"It's amazing," he said. "It gets bigger and better every year. The
final count isn't even in, but I think we had about 450 motorcycles."
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