Alleged members of motorcycle gang extradited for violent attack
By Dan Thesman on Sunday, October 10th, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
GRIFFIN, Georgia — New details have been released regarding two Milton-Freewater men who were both arrested this summer in a felony case out of Georgia involving a motorcycle gang.
On Wednesday, Oct. 6, investigators with the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office in Griffin, Georgia, flew to Washington state and arrested Dustin Wendelin, 40, who had been in custody since Sept. 9 in the Walla Walla County Jail and Charles Montgomery, 29, who had been in custody in the Umatilla County Jail. “Both are also facing charges stemming from an extensive investigation relating to crimes committed by the Pagans Outlaw Motorcycle gang by authorities in Washington state and Oregon,” Spalding County Sheriff Darrell Dix said Friday in a news release.
Due to the severity of the charges, criminal street gang affiliation, and high potential for violence during the transport, Dix said members from his agency’s SWAT team, along with agents from the Federal Air Marshal Service, accompanied other members of law enforcement on the flight back to Georgia.
On May 1, 2021, at approximately 11:30 p.m., Dix said his deputies responded to a report of a fight at a restaurant in Griffin. When the deputies arrived, they found an adult male who had been severely beaten. After the victim was transported for medical care, deputies and investigators began interviewing patrons who witnessed the assault.
“According to witnesses, several members of the 1 percent Pagans Outlaw motorcycle gang entered the business as the victim and his friend were singing karaoke. One of the Pagan Outlaws started a fight with the victim and when it was over the victim was left severely beaten, suffering a fractured skull and bleeding on the brain. The suspects then ran before the responding deputies arrived,” Dix said.
The Spalding County Sheriff’s Office immediately begin its investigation, going over witness statements and evidence to identify those responsible for the crime. Investigators later believed that the suspects were not from the area, making it more difficult to identify them.
“The Pagan Motorcycle Gang has members spread across the United States and that slowed the identification of the suspects,” Dix said. “So we partnered with agents from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms. With the help of GBI and ATF, as well as additional witness interviews, a positive identification was made of the Pagans responsible for the beating.” Investigators identified both Wendelin and Montgomery, both of whom are active members of the Pagans. Investigators also learned that Wendelin, who was serving as the chapter president of the Pagan’s motorcycle gang’s territories in Washington and Oregon, has been employed at a correctional officer at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla since 2011.
Wendelin and Montgomery have been charged with aggravated assault, aggravated battery, and three counts each of violation of the Georgia Criminal Street Gang Act. Other warrants may be obtained for additional charges as the investigation continues. Both are currently being held in the Spalding County Jail without bail.
