Thursday, Aug 17, 2006
On August 12th, rangers stopped an extended cab pickup towing a motorcycle trailer for a minor traffic offense. The ranger who approached the truck was not aware that it contained five heavily-armed members of the Outlaws motorcycle gang who had just left the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. This year’s rally was overshadowed by a growing rivalry and conflict between the Hells Angels and the Outlaws. Fears of a conflict between the two gangs were confirmed on August 6th, when five Outlaws and one non-affiliated gang member were shot near Legion Lake in Custer State Park in the southern Black Hills. Two members of the Hells Angels were arrested for the shooting and are currently in custody on $5 million bond each. As the ranger walked up along the driver’s side of the pickup, she saw a man sitting in the truck bed. Unknown to her, he had his hand on a loaded 9mm semi-automatic pistol that was hidden behind his back. Following a short exchange with him, she advanced to the open driver’s window and contacted the driver. A routine check on his license came back with an advisory, warning that the driver was a member of an outlaw motorcycle gang and should be considered armed and dangerous. Sensing trouble, a ranger and a BIA officer – both in plain clothes – backed her up on the stop. Together, they quickly recovered one concealed weapon and evidence of illegal drug use. Additional rangers and officers from the South Dakota Highway Patrol and Pennington County Sheriff’s Office also responded. The remaining occupants of the truck were called out of the vehicle and secured. Eight firearms, including one pistol-grip shotgun, were found in the truck. All five – four men and one woman – were found to either be in possession of or had rapid and immediate access to firearms. Methamphetamine and numerous blunt, cutting and electrical weapons were also recovered. State and federal authorities have shown great interest in this case because numerous ledgers and business files were also seized in the search. The five gang members – Marie Ann Napier, Clay Giselbach, Clyde White, Doyle Napier and Stephen Gretka, all from Florida – made their initial appearance in federal court this past Monday. With the strong support of the South Dakota Department of Criminal Investigations and the South Dakota State Attorneys Office, efforts are underway to seize the truck, trailer and two Harley Davidson motorcycles. Although federal prosecution is underway, the state has also expressed an interest in filing additional charges against the gang members. In addition to this case, park law enforcement personnel also handled more than 300 incidents during this year’s rally. Eleven of these resulted in arrests, including a felony firearm arrest made on August 4th. Park employees also handled nine medicals, including an ALS life flight for two bikers involved in a motor vehicle accident on August 13th. During the rally, the park’s ranger staff was augmented by four BIA officers.
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