ldeanda@record-bee.com Lakeport >> The second day of the Hells Angels trial saw numerous witnesses” testimonies called upon by the prosecution.
Establishing the three defendants” membership in the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club appeared to be one of Deputy District Attorney Art Grothe primary objectives through his questioning of multiple Lake County Sheriff Office (LCSO) deputies. However, defendants Nicolas Carrillo, Timothy Bianchi and Josh Johnson and their attorneys do not dispute their involvement in the Hells Angels, expect for the characterization of the club as a gang.
Contention between the defense council and Grothe slowed proceedings though. With Grothe doing a majority of the questioning, defense attorneys raised objections on a consistent basis.
The parties asked or were asked by Judge Michael Lunas to approach the bench for inaudible and brief conferences multiple times and Lunas sustained or overruled the defense”s objections on a fairly even basis. The most common objections were to questions the defense council argued should be addressed by a gang expert, rather than seek opinion from LCSO deputies.
LCSO officers Gary Frace and Walter White both testified about their involvement in responding to the fight between the three defendants and two Vagos Motorcycle Club members. Frace said he has been in contact with alleged victim of the fight and Vagos member Michael Burns several times since the incident.
Officers John Drewry and Norman Taylor also testified about serving search warrants to Johnson”s house and the Hells Angels” Sonoma Chapter Clubhouse in Santa Rosa, respectively. The pictures from those searches were submitted as evidence and generally captured articles of club memorabilia.
An image of the Hells Angels clubhouse promoted some discussion about the necessity of security features, as well as the prominence of the hangout. Taylor described iron bars covering the building”s windows and razor wire lining the top of the gate entrance to the side of the building.
In cross examination, attorney Jai Gohel representing Bianchi ensured jurors knew other buildings in the area also had similar security features and that the inside of the clubhouse, which was not depicted in any images submitted for evidence, had an atmosphere of being a normal hangout spot. Gohel described the approximately 25 foot sign reading “Hells Angels” on the top of the building as “hard to miss.”
Glen Greer, a Konocti Vista Casino surveillance technician who was responsible for providing Sheriff Frank Rivero with video footage of the fight, also testified. Although footage from all six minutes that Burns was in the casino was not preserved, Greer admitted it very well could have been if he was asked to do so. Instead, only 3 minutes of footage was saved.
Concluding the testimonies, the jury was excused so the court could consider allowing testimony from Lakeport Police Department Sgt. Jason Ferguson, who had partially witnessed an interaction between Burns and possibly some Hells Angels members on April 16, 2011. Because Ferguson does not have evidence of a direct interaction between the two parties, the defense council is arguing his testimony would be “incredibly prejudicial” of the court to allow.
Lunas is expected to make his ruling on whether Ferguson will be allowed to testify in front of the jury today. The trail will resume Friday, where testimony from officers who served search warrants on the homes of Bianchi and Carrillo will be heard.
Proceedings will continue on Dec. 17, 18 and 19, but the long break for the holidays after the jury has heard testimony was of concern to the defense council.
