ROCK SPRINGS –A group of seven bikers allegedly affiliated with the Mongol outlaw motorcycle gang appeared in court Thursday morning after an alleged altercation in Wamsutter Tuesday.
Dana James Clark, 29, of Veneta, Oregon; Justin Frank Graham, 41, of Independence, Oregon; Jereme Paul Robertson, 26, of Ferndale, Washington; Bryan Peter Grimuad, 40, of Springfield, Oregon; Richard Gonzales, 40, of Salem, Oregon; Yan Eric Davis, 28, of Yamhill, Oregon; and James Wesley Royster, 33, or Creswell, Oregon appeared before Circuit Court Judge Craig Jones to have their bond set and preliminary hearings scheduled.
Clark is charged with felony robbery, felony conspiracy to commit robbery, misdemeanor possession of cocaine, misdemeanor intimidation in furtherance of the interest of a street gang, and misdemeanor theft. He faces a maximum sentence of 22 years and six months of imprisonment and $23,000 in fines. His bond was set at $60,000 cash or surety.
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Graham faces felony conspiracy to commit robbery and misdemeanor intimidation charges, with a maximum penalty of 11 years imprisonment and $11,000 in fines. His bond was set at $40,000 cash or surety.
Robertson also faces charges of felony conspiracy to commit robbery and misdemeanor intimidation, with a maximum penalty of 11 years imprisonment and fines totaling $11,000. His bond was set at $45,000 cash or surety.
Grimaud is charged with felony conspiracy to commit robbery, felony taking a controlled substance into a jail and misdemeanor intimidation. He faces a maximum penalty of 14 years of incarceration and fines totaling $14,000. His bond was set at $50,000 cash or surety.
Gonzales is charged with felony conspiracy to commit robbery and misdemeanor charges of theft, possession of psilocybin mushrooms and intimidation. In total, he faces a maximum penalty of 13 years and six months of imprisonment and fines amounting to $12,750. His bond was set at $50,000 cash or surety.
Davis is charged with felony conspiracy to commit robbery, felony possession of dextroamphetamine and misdemeanor intimidation. The maximum penalty from those charges is 16 years of imprisonment and fines amounting to $21,000. His bond was set at $50,000 cash or surety.
Royster is charged with felony conspiracy to commit robbery and misdemeanor intimidation. The maximum penalty he faces is 11 years of imprisonment and fines totaling $11,000. His bond was set at $50,000 cash or surety.
The initial appearances for the seven men were scheduled for June 12.
According to court documents, Deputy Sheriff Ana Lindig was dispatched to the Love’s Travel Center in Wamsutter regarding a claim of stolen property. While en route to Love’s, she spoke with a man who said a group of bikers wearingMongol Motorcycle Club vests, later identified as Clark, Graham, Robertson, Grimaud, Gonzales, Davis and Royster, approached him at the travel center and allegedly took the Hell’s Angels associated vest from him and drove west on Interstate 80.
After arriving, the deputy spoke with the man, who said his keys were inside the vest, which resulted in him being stranded in Wamsutter. The man said he stopped at the Love’s to fuel up and use the bathroom. When he walked out of the building, he said he saw a group of men wearing Mongol Motorcycle Club vests standing around his bike. They allegedly told him to show his vest and he took off his leather jacket to show them and they saw his Hell’s Angels patch. People behind him allegedly took the vest off his body, which caused the man to say they could keep the vest, but he needed the keys in his vest pocket. The group allegedly did not give him the keys. The man said a few guys attempted to take the red skulls off his front wheel, but were unsuccessful. He said one person told him, “If we see you again, it could be bad.”
The man told Lindig he knows the Mongols and Hell’s Angels hate each other and was scared because he knew if he fought to keep the vest, he would get beaten up. He also said he thought the group took his vest as a trophy.
While reviewing security camera footage from Love’s Lindig, she saw the man pull up to the southwest side of the fuel pumps and walk to the travel center. This was followed by six motorcycles and a gray truck hauling a motorcycle on a trailer park on the southwest side of the pumps. Several men wearing sleeveless vests walked from their motorcycles to the alleged victim’s motorcycle, with the men looking around different areas of the parking lot, with some of them walking to the front of the travel center. The men then walked with the alleged victim to his motorcycle and surrounded him.
A few moments later a few of the men walk away from the group to the gray truck, with Clark allegedly carrying a black vest away and placing it inside the truck. The video showed a couple of the men appearing to manipulate the red skulls on the front wheel of the alleged victim’s motorcycle, then giving up.
A series of traffic stops were conducted west of Rock Springs on the motorcycles and the gray truck, with the men confirmed to be wearing Mongol Motorcycle Club vests. A black vest matching the alleged victim’s description was found inside the truck. Keys matching the description provided were found in the vest.
During a pat search of Grimaud at the Sweetwater County Detention Center, deputies found a small clear bag containing a white powdery substance in the front coin pocket of his pants which tested presumptive positive for cocaine.
On June 5, Detective Stephanie Cassidy contacted the Rocky Mountain Information Network and spoke with an expert in outlaw motorcycle gangs, who confirmed there is an ongoing international rivalry between the Mongols and the Hell’s Angels.
