BOISE -- On Wednesday night, federal agents raided two motorcycle club houses in Nampa. Dozens of FBI agents and other officers served warrants at the Brother Speed Clubhouse and the Road Brothers Clubhouse as well as a home.
Boise Police Gang Unit Detective Dave Leavitt was not on that raid, but has extensive experience dealing with what are known as "Outlaw Motorcycle Gxxgs" in the area and offered some insight into the two groups involved here.
He explained police classify Brother Speed as one of those groups, and the other group in this case, the Road Brothers, are affiliated with a gxxg called the Gypsy Jokers.
Police say there are hundreds of members of Motorcycle Outlaw Gxxgs in our state.
"They typically have a fairly well-organized entity. They have like a president, vice-president, treasurer, secretary, sergeant of arms, so they're very well organized. They oftentimes have clubhouses in the area that they go to on a regular basis and maintain, and they live in the community," Leavitt said.
Boise Police Gang Unit Detective Dave Leavitt explains groups like those raided by federal agents in Nampa are different than just an average group of riders who like to get together on the weekends, wear leather and ride.
"What's the line between them? Criminal activity. The outlaw motorcycle clubs or gxxgs, like Brother Speed, is going to commit criminal acts. Not always on a regular basis, but they do," Leavitt said.
Brother Speed started in the late 60s in Boise, with a group of motorcycle enthusiasts, but today police say the group has changed over time.
"Eventually it morphed and changed into what it is today, an outlaw motorcycle club with a three-piece patch that commits criminal activity," Leavitt said.
Police say Brother Speed members wear leather vests, with one of the patches showing a skull wearing goggles and a scarf and wings. The Road Brothers wear a single patch with an interstate logo, such as I-84 or I-5.
As for the federal agent raid on those two clubhouses, it remains to be seen exactly what officers found when executing warrants. At this point it is known one arrest was made: 45-year-old Timothy Butterbaugh, who was picked up for a meth distribution charge at his home.
U.S. Attorney Wendy Olson could not confirm Butterbaugh's involvement with either of those clubhouses, but she says the investigation is not over.
Court documents from Butterbaugh's case show the Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crime and Gang Task Force began investigating in April.
http://www.ktvb.com/news/Gang-detective-explains-local-outlaw-motorcycle-gangs-involved-in-raid-221745771.html