GEORGETOWN, Ohio – Almost 10 months after an alleged altercation at an Aberdeen, Ohio, night spot, four of five men charged with alleged gang, assault and riotous activities are heading to a bench trial.
According to the indictments of Wesley A. Gibson, 34 of Hillsboro, Ohio, Robert Bowling, 59, of Cincinnati, John A. McIntosh Jr., 49, of West Union, Ohio, and Franklin Delano Griffith, 36, of Manchester, Ohio, the incident happened on April 17, 2016.
A fifth man is already serving his sentence. Lawrence Wayne Allen Jr. entered a guilty plea to a count of aggravated riot, in August 2016, and was sentenced to two years of probation.
All five are members of the Iron Horsemen Motorcycle Club of Cincinnati, who allegedly approached the business doorman at approximately 1:30 a.m., and were denied entry.
The business worker was allegedly assaulted and Aberdeen police and EMS were called to the scene.
The worker and one of the bikers was taken to a hospital for treatment, police said.
Aberdeen police filed the original complaint.
“We reviewed the security video and compared the timelines to determine who was doing what,” said Aberdeen Police Chief Fred Hampton, in April 2016. “We then took what we had to the Brown County Prosecutor, who also reviewed the video and decided to move forward with charges.”
According to Ohio Revised Code 2917.11, a riot is considered disorderly conduct with four or more individuals where violence is involved.
In October 2016, Brown County Prosecutors office requested to join the remaining four cases for trial purposes, which was approved by mutual agreement of the defendants' attorneys and ordered by Judge Scott Gusweiler, court officials said.
“The four cases are being tried at one time, in front of the judge, without a jury,” said Brown County prosecutor Zac Corbin. “The trial begins Jan. 30.”
All four are charged with second-degree participation in criminal gang, second-degree felonious assault with a criminal gang activity specification; fourth-degree riot with a criminal gang activity specification; misdemeanor assault; first-degree misdemeanor trespass; and fourth-degree misdemeanor aggravated criminal trespass.
According to police, security video at the scene helped identify alleged participants in the incident.
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