Crime
S.W.A.T. Raid On Black Lotus Compound Results In Compound Court Docket
On May 5th RaSCaLZ Telegram No. 002 was shared out on Twitter detailing a S.W.A.T. raid on the Black Lotus MC compound. Photos of the raid were taken by Mazikeen Adaline Barrington and Jebediah Dubois.
Court dockets show that Daniel McColm, an independent candidate who ran for state representative in the Spring 2023 election, is being tried for eight counts of aggravated attempted second-degree murder alongside several other Black Lotus members. The courts have assigned five chairs to lead the court case, the forerunner being Nathan Hill. Justice Clarkson will be presiding over the trial.
This came about because of a sealed warrant, which authorized a search by the police on the Black Lotus Compound and Flint Calhoun. Circuit Judge Kinsley Murphy signed a sealed warrant, and the raid was executed on the 6th of May.
‘At approximately 00:00hrs, officers made contact with individuals barricaded at the Black Lotus Compound. Prior to executing the warrant, detectives and other officers surveyed the location and observed individuals in the compound positioned with Class 1 and Class 2 firearms.’
[2023-CM-136] State of San Andreas v. Trent Calloway
According to the court docket, those inside were heavily armed. After the police identified themselves verbally (and, assumedly, with flashing police cars), one person made a statement along the lines of “they are coming.” The police saw some members running around the area, and it was when they breached the compound that shots rang out.
The court case has yet to be scheduled, and the judiciary has merged eleven separate dockets into one. The number of people included on it is one of the highest I’ve ever seen. It’s gonna be a tough trial; you can be assured of that.
It appears as though the updates will be coming in quickly on this case, as the defendants were not offered bail. Chief Justice MacLamar has ordered the defendants be released pending a bail hearing, although it is likely that any conditions placed upon them will be severe.
The Speedy Trial Act, H.R.215, established a bail system for use throughout San Andreas, defining bail in four parts:
The bill goes on to establish that defendants should have access to bail, ‘Upon the filing of a criminal indictment, and upon assignment of the presiding judge to the case, the accused, upon request, must be granted a bail hearing within 120 hours (5 days) of the time and date of the request.’ That basically means that once a bail hearing has been requested, the state has to provide one within five days.
From Section 9 of H.R. 215 – The Speedy Trial Act
Under this legislation, upon arrest, and prior to the filing of an indictment, a law enforcement officer or attorney for the Department of Justice, is empowered to conduct a pre-indictment bail determination. They may set bail, collect bail, and release the accused on bail. Law enforcement officers and attorneys for the Department of Justice must provide bail for the accused unless the accused is charged with; an offense of murder in the first or second degree, homicide, treason, terrorism, corruption, or racketeering.
From Section 10 of H.R. 215 – The Speedy Trial Act
We will see what else happens with this truly gargantuan court case. Stay tuned to Weazel News for developments.
Update: I slept, and the defendants were issued bail. Also, all of the defendants hired Hunt & OHagen to be their lawyers, who have now called into question the validity of the original warrant. They have requested the probable cause statement, which was used to obtain the warrant, meaning the police need to prove they had reasonable belief that the defendants had engaged in criminal activities.
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