Harley Workers Arrested

[boliver]

By JOSHUA WOLFSON
Star-Tribune staff writer
Thursday, July 30, 2009 12:30 PM MDT

Police arrested two Casper Harley Davidson workers Tuesday following an incident that began when an officer stopped six Hells Angels outside the dealership.

In a report on the incident, the officer stated Frank Hardman and John McClelland put police in danger by interfering with them during the traffic stop.

"To confront a police officer while he is dealing with six fairly uncooperative Hells Angels is unthinkable," Officer Joe Moody wrote in an affidavit describing the incident.

Both men have pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from the arrest and their attorney, Dallas Laird, said they are good people who don't have a problem with police.

"They are both nice guys and the case will get resolved," Laird said. "They both respect the police."

The incident began Tuesday morning when Moody responded to a report of six motorcyclists running red lights through Casper. The bikers had Hells Angels patches on their backs, according to Moody's affidavit.

Moody followed the men to the Harley Davidson dealership. He described the men as verbally abusive and antagonistic toward him.

As the officer spoke with the bikers, Hardman, 52, and McClelland, 46, came out of the dealership and told them to move their motorcycles, according to Moody's affidavit. The group's leader allegedly replied they would wait until "Barney Fife finished his investigation."

Moody's affidavit states he was talking to dispatch on his radio when McClelland and Hardman approached him, and Hardman angrily told him he wanted the officer to move. The officer said Hardman refused to leave, and McClelland began to shout at him, as well.

"Officer Moody quickly found himself in a dangerous situation that was getting worse," he wrote in the affidavit, explaining that he was no longer able to focus on the Hells Angels.

At that point, Moody grabbed Hardman's wrist and ordered him to put his hands behind his back. The officer said Hardman pulled away, and when Moody grabbed the wrist again, McClelland allegedly grabbed his arm.

A sheriff's deputy who was also on scene grabbed McClelland's arm and pushed him into a van, according to the deputy's affidavit. McClelland allegedly spun around and punched the deputy in the face.

Moody then used his taser on McClelland, who went to the ground, where he was handcuffed. Hardman was also arrested.

McClelland faces charges of assault and batter and interference. Hardman is charged with interference.

Laird filed a motion in Natrona County Circuit Court on Wednesday seeking to dismiss Hardman's charges. Hardman did nothing to interfere with the traffic stop and merely made a reasonable request for the police to move their cars so customers could enter and exit the dealership, the attorney wrote.

Laird said his clients are not associated with the Hells Angels.

Without commenting on the facts of the case, Laird said many people generally don't know how to interact with police while officers are performing an investigation.

"It's not their intent to interfere," he said.

Laird said some witnesses might have filmed parts of the incident, but he hasn't seen any video yet.

The Hells Angels, meanwhile, were warned against running red lights and released.

[fourhour]

Originally Posted by boliver

By JOSHUA WOLFSON

The Hells Angels, meanwhile, were warned against running red lights and released.

Well, someone owes a couple a guys free "Support 81" shirts! ennis

[k9guy]

I think they should all sit down over a beer and see if they can all learn from the incident!

[TriLs]

If they play their cards right, they can all be invited to the White House...

[Faast Ed]

Originally Posted by k9guy

I think they should all sit down over a beer and see if they can all learn from the incident!

....... with the Prez Obamer. Did the cops "act stupidly"?

[JOKENightTrain]

They have 'Red Lights' in Casper, WY!?

[Faast Ed]

I gotta admit, the cop was supposed to pull them over to a place that wasn't blocking anything.
There was no reason that he couldn't have told the bikes to pull further into the lot (at the beggining of the stop).
Blocked all their customers, cost them money, not right at all.

Somebody please call Obama! Get the beer on ice.

[DueceDog]

Oh for Pete's sake (whomever this 'Pete' is)_

One officer pulls over 6 Angels, and two employees feel that it's proper to interupt him to move the car??? Give me a break! The LEO had more on his mind than a blocked driveway. The report states that the 6 bikers were already acting in a rebellious manor.
Do you think they weren't?? They were stopped for runnning red lights. Like that wouldn't bring the attention of the law onto them.

By interfering, the two employees probably caused the whole incident to take a lot longer than if they had just let the cop do his job.

I will say that it's a bit suspect (no pun intended) that they were all let go with a warning to stop running red lights. lol

[Faast Ed]

Originally Posted by DueceDog

Oh for Pete's sake (whomever this 'Pete' is)_

One officer pulls over 6 Angels, and two employees feel that it's proper to interupt him to move the car??? Give me a break! The LEO had more on his mind than a blocked driveway. The report states that the 6 bikers were already acting in a rebellious manor.
Do you think they weren't?? They were stopped for runnning red lights. Like that wouldn't bring the attention of the law onto them.

By interfering, the two employees probably caused the whole incident to take a lot longer than if they had just let the cop do his job.

I will say that it's a bit suspect (no pun intended) that they were all let go with a warning to stop running red lights. lol

I couldn't agree more. Letting the HA go was like another slap at the loudmouth HD employees. (Nice jab). LOL

The cop should have been more sensible and cleared the entrance at the start of the stop, but that did not give anyone the right to interfere with his stop. They could have requested, but that is all.

Where the he11 is Obama, he hiding now? Oh I get it, his race wasn't involved. Charges would have been dropped.



.

[facn8me]

I have never felt the urge to tell a leo anything while he was "working". Being detained and tazed (don't taze me bro) for stupidity is never high on my list of priorities. If there had been an accident would these two idiots went out and told the first responders to stop blocking the drive? Anyway I imagine blocking the drive was an attempt to keep the 6 giys contained until the warnings (hahahahaha) could be given out. Wonder if the added buisness of the h a will cover the bail and attornies?

[13MM]

Thier mothers should of taught them to obey the police.

[Faast Ed]

Anyway I imagine blocking the drive was an attempt to keep the 6 giys contained until

I didn't think of that. Good point.

[tomv]

as far as i'm concerned when a leo is performing his duty he isnt blocking anything...ive had them pull vehicles over in my business drive before and other than an occasional wander out just to see if everything is ok and ask if he needs anything ive never attempted to rush them or indicate they are in the way...

i did ask one if they could park in the street and divert traffic into my lot next time...we had a laugh over it...

i'm thinkin if theres 6 hells angels giving the cop a hard time i'm gonna be the last one to ice the cake and see if i can top them....

and if the cop tells me to back off...i'm backin off...

[Mr Cujo]

As long as we're going to armchair QB...here's some random thoughts.

I didn't see anywhere in the article that the drive was actually blocked. Even if it were, common sense dictates that going out to yell at a cop engaged in a traffic stop is a piss-poor idea. This seems to be borne out upon the release of the taser.

I'm more than sure that the club riders are able to handle things quite well for themselves without the help (or potential hindrance in this case) of the guys from the dealership.

The guys from the dealership, from the article above, deserve what they got for interfering in the situation.
Had it escalated to the point of the club riders being locked up as a result of the dealership guys going postal, I would guess that there would be a need for some intense discussion between the dealership guys and the club.

[Koop08]

Never bug a cop when he's busy, especially when he's dealing with 6 uncooperative bikers.