Posted on 02/06/2016 5:52:34 AM PST by Elderberry
An attorney representing a biker arrested in the May 17 Twin Peaks shootout is seeking to move his client's felony case from McLennan County.
Dallas attorney Clint Broden, who represents Hewitt resident Matthew Clendennen, filed a change of venue motion Friday that seeks to try the case in another county because of what he describes as "pervasive, prejudicial and inflammatory" publicity about the unique case.
The motion asks 54th State District Judge Matt Johnson to move the trial to Travis, Dallas or Harris counties.
Broden's motion cites quotes attributed in the local media to McLennan County District Attorney Abel Reyna, Waco police Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton and McLennan County Justice of the Peace W.H. "Pete" Peterson in an attempt to justify moving the trial.
The motion says the Tribune-Herald has published 219 news stories about the Twin Peaks incident and 71 editorials or letters to the editor. The motion says more than 50 stories appeared on KXXV-TV, 45 on KWKT and about 100 on KCEN.
"Many of the articles and television stories have adopted the prosecution narrative of calling the motorcycle clubs 'biker gangs' and presuming Mr. Clendennen's guilt by referring to those in his position as members of a 'biker gang,' " Broden's motion states.
Clendennen is a member of the Scimitars motorcycle group.
"The guilt-presuming comments by Reyna made on local television alone would be enough to justify a change of venue in this case," the motion says.
Johnson has not set a date for the change of venue hearing.
"These televised events smacked of political opportunism and allowed Reyna to show his 'gang' was 'tough on crime,' " Broden's motion claims. "Meanwhile, Swanton would use his time in the limelight to plant the seeds for his entry into the 2016 race for the office of sheriff of McLennan County."
Broden charges that Swanton "began his prejudicial narrative from the beginning."
"In his first press conference, he used the term 'gang' approximately 17 times in 19 minutes," the motion states. "In another, he used the term 'gang' approximately 17 times in 17 minutes. Indeed, Swanton would have made a communications professor proud."
The Texas Department of Public Safety's Gang Threat Assessment lists the Bandidos as a Tier 2 gang, the same classification as the Bloods, Crips and Aryan Brotherhood in the state. The Cossacks are not listed as a Tier 1 or Tier 2 gang, but are mentioned in the most recent assessment released last August as having an ongoing conflict with the Bandidos.
A son watched a father bleed out ... and I think there was a visa/versa
The day was horrible and the feds invented the entire scenario
Men died for no reason
I think two women as well ... not sure.
Yeah, we could stop using the term “biker”. How about a more fitting word, like “outlaw”. And how about you get over your MC gang fetish. Let ‘em kill each other. Outlaw bikers, Chicago gang bangers, West Coast latino gangs, all of them. Let them all kill each other.
Sorry, I’m just tired of seeing this topic being posted to boredom on FP.
Motorcycle clubs are a group of badassed men that need the camaraderie of each other ...... after they've been discharged into a world that sticks it up their ass in thanx for their service to their country
They're not punk kids ... they're grown men with wives and children and jobs and a sincere (albeit libertarian) love for the USA
You'd want a crippled one with you in a fox hole
The fact is that the conflict between some of the biker clubs was going to happen.
One club was doing drug-running and other illegal cross border operations with the permission and support of the government.
Many of the other clubs wanted that stopped. The government wanted to ‘make a statement’ so they went there totally prepared for a shoot out that they knew was inevitable.
The government wasn’t there to keep the violence from happening. They were there to make sure enough people died to MAKE SURE THE MESSAGE WAS UNDERSTOOD. The blanket indictments were another way to GET THAT MESSAGE ACROSS.
STAY OUT OF THE WAY OF the illegal operations being controlled by the government and certain biker clubs.
Is this how YOU react to seeing eeeeeeeeeeeeeeevil bikers?
That would be an interesting side story for someone like WND to carry.
I do draw a distinction between motorcycle clubs and motorcycle outlaw gangs having been a member (many years ago) to an original HOG chapter and the largest LEO MC club at the time. Also, having raced Class C from 1970 to 1976 I have been a member of several small AMA affiliated clubs. So, please don’t try and infuse clubs like the Bandidos et al into the legitimate fraternity of motorcycle enthusiasts.
No, I just don’t act like a menstruating woman because they took Sons of Anarchy off the air. Jeeez.
You don’t have to click every link, ya know.
“The day was horrible and the feds invented the entire scenario”
The feds weren’t even there!
“They’re not punk kids ... they’re grown men with wives and children and jobs and a sincere (albeit libertarian) love for the USA”
ROTFLMAO!
“Could the media stop using “biker” and start using “man”, or “alleged” (whatever)”
Gangster works pretty well here.
From what I can understand
Twin Peaks was supposed to be a legitimate meeting about various laws and such
I have read that traditionally, just a few members of each club would show up, but the Bandidos came in force and the testimonies I have read indicated the men meeting knew something was up from the beginning .... and they suspected government influence
“Twin Peaks was supposed to be a legitimate meeting about various laws and such”
Twin Peaks was a Texas CoC meeting. Basically, all the bikers have to pay extortion money to the Bandidos (which head the Texas Coc) through the CoC dues. Thus the Bandidos get to say who rides where and who wears what.
Waco was a Cossacks town. The Bandidos moved their ‘meeting’ to Waco shortly before the scheduled date as a ‘show of force’ to the Bandidos who were NOT CoC members and were NOT paying extortion money to the Bandidos.
knarf: 1998! Another old timer coming out of the woods ...
Better?
sure describes your little hobby horse.
eeeeeeeeeeeevil bikers.
Why would Feds need to be, with pawns to do their will?
You can’t have it both ways when most at the melee were trying to hide. They were there to fight or they weren’t. For “gang” surely one would expect better forces? The eensy weensy personal weapons obviously were not prevailing.
You are certainly a chief example of why the trial ought to happen outside Waco.
“You can’t have it both ways when most at the melee were trying to hide.”
The code says to show up and support your ‘brothers’.
Lot’s of them forgot about the code when the SHTF!
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