Pammett denies he was target of Molotov cocktail tossing

Thursday, August 30, 2012 ..... Bob Pammett was surprised to hear that he was supposed to have been the target of Molotov cocktail-tossing thugs who tried to damage his truck. Stories began circulating Tuesday that Pammett was the intended victim after an exploded Molotov cocktail was discovered in the laneway near his George St. home. Pammett confirmed Wednesday that there had been a fire near the apartment where he’s staying. But that fire happened behind the house next to his building, he said, and his truck, the supposed target, was undamaged. “I had nothing to do with it,” Pammett said. Another story was that a second firebomb was tossed at the fence of a motorcycle clubhouse at Park and Perry streets Pammett is involved with. Those using that clubhouse have no known motorcycle club affliation. Most of its members are former Loners members or supporters who parted ways with the Loners in June. The two groups have been at odds ever since. There was a small spot of damage in the laneway at Pammett’s apartment when The Examiner paid a visit. Pammett showed off his bright-yellow, Dodge Rumble Bee, which bore no new signs of damage. But there was some new fencing on the clubhouse. Staff Sgt. Larry Charmley said officers did recover a Molotov cocktail from a laneway near Pammett’s home. Beyond that, they have little proof that anything happened. Whether the glass bottle filled with an accelerant was dropped or even bounced there is anyone’s guess, Charmley said. All police really know is that one resident heard a pop, saw a fire and called in firefighters. Charmley said it’s likely someone tossed it, but couldn’t say who or what the target may have been. Pammett’s crew and the Loners haven’t resolved their differences in the past few days, but Charmley said there’s no indication that tensions have escalated. Police seized the remains of the cocktail and are still investigating. Charmley said whoever is responsible for the fiasco could be charged with mischief. http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/2012/08/30/pammett-denies-he-was-target-of-molotov-cocktail-tossing

Bob Pammett says he's been set up by police

Friday, August 10, 2012....

Bob Pammett professed his innocence as he walked out of the Simcoe St. courthouse Thursday afternoon, moments after a Justice of the Peace released him from jail. Pammett, 62, faces charges of robbery and breach of probation. Police allege he was one of two men who took a “Support Your Local Loners” shirt from a man July 14. Police allege Pammett was driving the car that pulled up beside the35-year-old man as he walked through the Home Depot parking lot that day. “I’ve been set up again by corrupt cops,” he said, speaking to the media, adding that he was “100% innocent” of the crime. He has even offered to take a polygraph test to prove his innocence. “Stay tuned for the results,” he said. Pammett has been in jail for about a week. The Crown fought an uphill battle to keep him behind bars, pointing to Pammett’s extensive history and involvement with motorcycle clubs. Crown attorney Shonagh Pickens called several witnesses to the stand during Pammett’s bail hearing, including Pammett’s probation officer, Kelly Fox, and Peel police Det. Paul Noonan. Noonan works with the OPP’s biker enforcement unit. It’s his job to keep tabs on two motorcycle clubs, the Outlaws and the Loners. He told court the unit had received information that Pammett and the Loners had parted ways. He testified that the Loners tossed Pammett out of the club after hearing that Pammett wanted to switch clubs. Pammett maintains that he left the Loners of his own accord. Noonan testified that robbing someone of a shirt that bore the logo of a rival biker club had significant meaning in the biker world. “They’re essentially declaring war on the other group,” Noonan testified. “He’s calling out the Loners.” Noonan told court he was part of a team of police officers who raided the clubhouse at Park and Perry streets July 22, following an assault on a member of the Loners motorcycle club. Police found paraphernalia bearing the Loners logo in the house, Noonan testified, hanging upside down. Other biker paraphernalia included Bandidos and Vagos items, Noonan told court. Under cross examination Noonan admitted that Pammett isn’t a part of any biker club right now. “I would refer to it as ‘Bob Pammett et al right’ now,” Noonan said. The Crown argued that Pammett’s previous affiliations with the motorcycle club culture cause serious concerns. If the shirt Pammett is accused of taking was a regular T-shirt, the offence would be minor, Pickens said. But the meaning and nature behind the attack make it much more serious, she argued. Pickens also argued that releasing Pammett from custody could shake the public’s faith in the justice system. Pammett’s lawyer, Dave McFadden, pointed out that no one, including his client, has been charged in the July 22 assault. He argued that his client has never been charged with skipping court, drug issues were never brought up during the hearing and Pammett has faithfully shown up to meet with his probation officer every two weeks. Sure, he said, people may not like Pammett, and he may be well known to police. But that’s not a reason to keep someone in jail, McFadden said, and everyone has the right to bail. Young agreed with McFadden. As he read his decision to the courtroom, Young said he had to base his decision on the facts of the case, and not someone’s personality. He said that his decision doesn’t mean that the court approves, or even likes Pammett’s lifestyle. “Under ‘character,’ I’ve written, ‘not good,’” Young said, glancing at Pammett in the prisoner’s dock. Pammett was released on a $30,000 bond with no deposit. He’ll have to live with his surety, Nancy Foote, a teacher with the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic School Board. Court heard Foote is the owner of the house located at Park and Perry streets, believed to be a clubhouse. Foote testified that she purchased the house and rents it out. Outside the courthouse Pammett wouldn’t elaborate on what he plans to do next, except to say he was going to “relax” after spending the last week in jail. http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/2012/08/09/bob-pammett-says-hes-been-set-up-by-police

Bail hearing for Bob Pammett continues Thursday

Thursday, August 9, 2012.... Bob Pammett’s lengthy history with motorcycle gangs came under heavy scrutiny Wednesday as a bail hearing for the 62-year-old resident began. Pammett faces charges of robbery and breach of a court order. He was charged after a man complained to city police that his “Support Your Local Loners” shirt was taken from him July 14. Pierre Maurice Aragon, 30, has also been charged in the case. Crown attorney Shonagh Pickens outlined the ongoing tension between the Loners motorcycle club and a group of former members. In July the Loners announced via their website that Pammett was kicked out of the club and was considered a member in bad standing. Pammett has maintained he was never tossed out of the club and left on his own accord. The former members include Pammett and Aragon, court heard. Pickens said their clubhouse is at Park and Perry streets. The 35-year-old complainant told police he was walking in the parking lot near Home Depot when a dark-coloured car drove up beside him and suddenly stopped. Three men got out, court heard. Pickens said one man, later identified as Aragon, walked up to the complainant and told him he liked his shirt. Then he threatened to beat the complainant up if he didn’t hand the shirt over, Pickens said. A struggle ensued, Pickens said, and the complainant’s sunglasses were destroyed and his shirt was taken off. The complainant could hear Pammett telling Aragon to grab his shirt, she said. The complainant told police he heard the men making fun of his tattoos, Pickens said. They also told him he was hanging out with the wrong people. Pickens said the complainant isn’t a member of the Loners and had bought the shirt on his own. When Pammett was arrested he was wearing a Vagos belt buckle, Pickens said. The Vagos are a motorcycle gang based in the southern United States. At the Water St. police station Aragon declined to talk to police, Pickens said. Pammett, she said, accused police of wrongful arrest and threw a tantrum on video. Pickens called probation officer Kelly Fox to the stand during the hearing. Fox is tasked with supervising Pammett while he’s on probation. Given his high profile in the media, and his high risk to reoffend, Pammett requires “intensive supervision,” Fox testified. She meets with Pammett every two weeks, she told court. During their meetings Pammett would often talk about motorcycle clubs, Fox testified, sometimes the Outlaws, sometimes the Loners. Fox described several occasions where Pammett arrived for his appointments wearing clothing decked out in motorcycle club slogans. The first time he was asked to remove his “Outlaws MC” hat Pammett complied, she testified. But on another occasion he argued against taking it off, she told court, telling staff that he was free to wear what he wanted. On another occasion he tried to argue that the “MC” on his “Loners MC” hat didn’t stand for “motorcycle club” but stood for “moving company.” Under cross examination Fox admitted that Pammett was a big talker. Pammett’s lawyer, Dave McFadden, pointed out that his client’s knowledge of biker clubs could have come from local media reports. The hearing continues Thursday. http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/2012/08/09/bail-hearing-for-bob-pammett-continues-thursday

Two different descriptions about Bob Pammett's home

Two different descriptions about Bob Pammett's home Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Bob Pammett’s house on McNamara Rd. is nothing more than a family home on the shore of the Otonabee River, one that’s often under renovation and home to several pets. That’s according to his lawyer, Ravin Pillay. Crown attorney Brendan Gluckman disagrees. He claims the “home” was actually a poorly designed and barely-maintained fortified drug compound, a place where Pammett hoped to avoid police detection while dealing cocaine. Pammett was arrested in March 2008 following a lengthy investigation involving an undercover police agent. He pleaded guilty to several drug-related charges and was released from jail in March 2010. The Crown wants to seize the home under federal forfeiture laws on the grounds that it was part of Pammett’s criminal enterprise as a cocaine dealer. The Crown has valued the property at about $175,000, citing its poor condition and a City of Peterborough property standards order that states it’s unfit for habitation. Pammett and his lawyer have argued that it’s worth close to $750,000. Pammett testified in March that police destroyed the house during their search and have kept it in poor repair ever since. Tuesday marked the forfeiture hearing’s closing arguments. Mr. Justice Michael Brown said he would likely issue his decision in the fall. Gluckman took a deep dive into Pammett’s criminal past as he addressed the court, citing a history of drug dealing and involvement with the Bandidos biker gang. On three separate occasions an undercover police agent was summoned to the McNamara Rd. home to pick up his supply, a product Pammett himself described as “Grade A cocaine,” Gluckman said. The agent ended up buying a total of 15 ounces of cocaine from Pammett during the investigation. Pammett, a former member of the Bandidos biker gang, told the agent he hoped to revive the club and bring the Bandidos back into Ontario. The Bandidos presence in the province effectively ended in 2006 after eight of its nine members were executed at a farmhouse outside of London. Pammett’s statements were caught on tape, Gluckman said, along with his description of himself as a long-time commercial drug trafficker. The home at the south edge of the city supported those claims, Gluckman said. He described it as surrounded by a chain link fence and steel gates, with guard dogs on patrol and surveillance cameras mounted throughout the property. Most of the windows were boarded up, Gluckman said, and steel bars reinforced the doors. Every adult in the house, including Pammett’s wife and two grown children, were involved in dealing drugs, he said. If strong evidence of criminal enterprise and organized crime isn’t enough for the court than the home’s condition should be taken into account, Gluckman argued. It is built on a flood plain with shoddy workmanship and materials, he said, and has a waterlogged septic system and water pooling in the basement. Pillay argued that seizing Pammett’s house would be a punishment that far outweighed his client’s crimes. The law allowing courts to seize a home was designed to be used in rare and very serious cases, he said. There was no evidence to suggest that the home was anything other than a family residence, he said, let alone a fortified drug compound. He said the Crown’s claim that the house was barely liveable is hampered by the fact that no one itemized any damage when police seized it in 2008. The order declaring it unfit for habitation was issued in April 2010, Pillay said, two years after it had been in the care of a property maintenance company hired by the federal government. No one knows what damage existed when Pammett lived there, what police caused and what has happened since the government took over, he said. Pillay said a regular chain-link fence surrounds the property, a common feature at many homes, and there is almost 700 feet of unprotected shoreline on the riverbank. “This was not, by any stretch of the imagination, a secure perimeter,” he said. There was no evidence that Pammett’s dogs were anything other than family pets, Pillay said. Police and visitors never expressed any concerns about their behaviour. A few cameras and monitors are a far cry from the Crown’s description of a sophisticated surveillance system, he said. Police also failed to turn up any evidence of drugs coming into the house, Pillay said. Thirty ounces of cocaine hidden in one of the walls was simply stashed there, he said, a marked difference from a home hosting a sophisticated growing operation or drug lab. The Crown doesn’t have a shred of evidence tying Pammett to organized crime, he said, arguing that it has relied Pammett’s boasts, caught on tape but made to impress the police agent. http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/2012/07/24/two-different-descriptions-about-bob-pammetts-home

Bob Pammett has approached Vagos, Bandidos, Mongols biker gangs about establishing Peterborough chapter

Bob Pammett has approached Vagos, Bandidos, Mongols biker gangs about establishing Peterborough chapter. Friday, August 3, 2012

Bob Pammett may be shopping south of the border with the hope of bringing another biker club to Peterborough. The Examiner has learned that Pammett may have approached U.S.-based biker club the Vagos with the intention of starting a chapter in Peterborough. Insp. Ted Boynton said he’s heard talk about that too. Boynton has also heard Pammett has approached other clubs such as the Bandidos and the Mongols to start Peterborough-based chapters. Right now, he said, police are just trying to sort out truth from fiction. News of a possible Vagos expansion isn’t that surprising to biker enforcement officials. “They’re the fastest growing motorcycle club in the world,” said Det. Sgt. Len Isnor with the OPP’s Biker Enforcement Unit. Isnor said he hasn’t heard that Pammett has approached the Vagos. “But we’re not going to rule it out,” he said. The Vagos have talked about coming to Canada in the past. In early 2011 there were rumblings that the club was going to start a Toronto-based chapter. Isnor said their colours were never seen on Ontario roads. Plans for the club fizzled out quickly. “It died as quickly as it started,” he said. It’s not illegal to start a motorcycle club. There’s little police can do if that happens. But a Vagos chapter has the potential to bring more trouble to the city. “They have an ongoing conflict with the Hells Angels,” Isnor said. The trouble has been isolated to the southern United States. There have been several high-profile fights between the two within the past two years, including shoot-outs in Arizona and Nevada and a rumble outside a California Starbucks. “They are definitely rivals,” Isnor said. Isnor said he couldn’t speculate on what would happen if the Vagos came to Peterborough. No one can predict whether the Hells Angels in Ontario would stand by their southern brothers, he said, or let another club like the Vagos set up. But, he said, the Hells Angels have been “suspiciously absent” when it comes to the Peterborough landscape. The club made no moves when the Outlaws came to town, Isnor said, and tipped their hats when the Loners motorcycle club set up shop. He said there was no reason for the public to be alarmed. “We’ll see what unfolds,” he said. “The police are prepared. We have to be.” http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/2012/08/03/bob-pammett-has-approached-vagos-bandidos-mongols-biker-gangs-about-establishing-peterborough-chapter-source

Biker feud has police on high alert

Jul 23, 2012..... Biker feud has police on high alert. Police believe Sunday assault result of rivalry between Loners bikers club and former member Bob Pammett's..... (PETERBOROUGH) A feud between two motorcycle gangs has police on high alert. Peterborough-Lakefield police confirmed Monday (July 23) that the victim of an early Sunday (July 22) morning assault is a member of Loners motorcycle club. The 47-year-old man underwent surgery for non-life threatening injuries and is recovering at the Peterborough Regional Health Centre. It's believed that beating happened because of a dispute between the Loners and former club head Bob Pammett and his crew. Peterborough-Lakefield police Staff Sergeant Larry Charmley says the former local president was ousted from the Loners but is still hanging around 285 Perry Street which is the address of the former Loners clubhouse. Police conducted a search warrant at that address on Sunday night. "We've collected evidence that is going to help us with this investigation," explains Sgt. Charmley. Sgt. Charmley says police received a call around 1:30 a.m. in regards to two guys walking with baseball bats near the actual Loners clubhouse at 126 Park St. S. En-route to that call, he says police received another call of an assault occurring on Park Street, near Perry Street. "When we got there people had already fled from the scene and the victim was injured on the sidewalk area. We did speak to a couple of people of interest that were there at the time but there were no grounds to lay charges," he explains. Police later learned that several windows were broken out of the Loners clubhouse prior to the assault. "This is an isolated incident where they're feuding with each other," explains Sgt. Charmley. He says police are working closely with the OPP Biker Enforcement Unit and intelligence agencies to help ensure that the rivalry doesn't spiral out of control and put innocent people in harms way. "I think we would have to be naive not to be worried about it," he explains. "We know what has happened in history in these situations and sometimes innocent people do get caught up in the violence and we are certainly concerned about that." Detective Sergeant Len Isnor, head of the OPP Biker Enforcement Unit Ontario Provincial, says the Loners appear to be the only out-law motorcycle gang in town but it appears that Mr. Pammett is trying to form his own club with other members that left the Loners when he parted ways with the club. "We're not sure how many have come over with Bob Pammett. It is hard to tell because they're not wearing any markings." Det. Sgt. Isnor adds that the main concern right now is the safety of the citizens of Peterborough. " We're going to do everything we can to keep things from escalating," he says. There's been no arrest made in Sunday's assault. Police urge anyone who may been in the area and witnessed the altercation to call them at 705-876-1222. http://www.mykawartha.com/article/1409071--biker-feud-has-police-on-high-alert

Pammett, other bikers quit Loners Motorcycle Club

Peterborough Examiner Monday, June 11, 2012 11:51:30 EDT PM..... Bob Pammett and the Loners Motorcycle Club have parted ways.

The Examiner has learned that Pammett left the club early last week and is now considered a member in “bad standing.” Posts on an online motorcycle website state Pammett was kicked out of the club by other members. Pammett denied the allegations, telling The Examiner that it’s actually the other way around. He and 14 other club members walked out on The Loners, he said, and are staying put at the clubhouse located at Park and Perry streets. “We’re going a different way,” Pammett said, adding no one ever kicked him out of anything. The group chose to leave the Loners, he said, because those club members talk to the police. He added that two other members were tossed out and are now considered to be in bad standing.

The local Loners chapter wouldn’t comment on the issue, but a release from the national organization states that the club is not leaving Peterborough, though members don’t currently have a home. It’s believed that Pammett owns the clubhouse. “The club is a strong brotherhood and will be steadfast in remaining in Peterborough,” an email states. The email also thanks residents for their continuing support of the club. An entry on the Loners Motorcycle Club Canada website states: “Robert Pammett AKA Peterborough Bob is no longer a member of or affiliated with the Loners MC and is out in bad standings!! Peterborough is remaining a Loners MC Canada B & W stronghold and will always be a Loners MC town. All others tread lightly!” Pammett said he and the remaining members have big plans for Peterborough, though he wouldn’t elaborate on what those plans were. It’s unclear where the members will go and Pammett’s apparent ejection comes as a bit of a surprise. Pammett was a big part of the club in its early days and was often seen at the clubhouse or wearing clothes bearing the Loners logo. The Loners have always maintained that they aren’t a criminal organization and have said that they are little more than a social group that’s received a bad reputation from the press and police. That hasn’t stopped local law enforcement from keeping an eye on them. Pammett’s separation from the club was news to city police Insp. Ted Boynton. Boynton couldn’t speculate on what went on, but said he hadn’t heard any alarming news associated with Pammett’s departure. Det. Sgt. Len Isnor works with the OPP’s biker enforcement unit. If a member’s in bad standing, he said, than all communication between the former member and current members comes to a halt. All clubs have rules, Isnor said. Breaking some rules is tolerated, but there are some lines that even established members just can’t cross. Members in bad standing aren’t allowed to wear any clothing associated with that club. Isnor said a member in bad standing would have to cover up any club tattoos. http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/2012/06/11/pammett-voted-out-of-loners-motorcycle-club

Last of the Bandidos jailed again

Wednesday August 11, 2010..... The last of the Bandidos is back behind bars.... Robert (Peterborough Bob) Pammett, 60, a former member of the Toronto chapter of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club, faces a bail hearing on Friday after he was arrested late last month for dangerous driving. Pammett is one of the few remaining members of the Toronto chapter of the Bandidos, the world’s second largest outlaw motorcycle club, behind only the Hells Angels. Pammett was invited to the April 6, 2006 meeting of the Bandidos near the hamlet of Shedden, outside London, when eight of his fellow club members were slaughtered. For reasons never made public, Pammett skipped the late-night meeting in the barn of club member Wayne Kellestine, which ended in the worst mass murder in modern Ontario history. Most of his time since then has been spent behind bars, awaiting trial on drug charges. Pammett’s current driving habits are of particular interest to police because he was in the company of nine members of Ontario’s second-largest outlaw motorcycle club, the Outlaws, at the time of his arrest at 2 p.m. on July 24. Police have heard the Outlaws are expanding into Peterborough, but haven’t yet seen a patch on a biker’s leather vest with the city’s name on it, Det. Sgt. Len Isnor of the Ontario Provincial Police Biker Enforcement Unit said. There are about 50 members of the Outlaws in a half dozen chapters across the province, including two chapters in Toronto, Isnor said. The largest outlaw biker club in the province is the Hells Angels, with some 170 members. In March, Pammett pleaded guilty in Newmarket court to three counts of trafficking cocaine and possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking after selling cocaine to a police agent. He served just a day in jail and WAS then allowed home, under house arrest, as he was given credit for two years of pre-trial custody. He is currently fighting to retain possession of his fortified home just off Hwy. 115 beside the Otonabee River in Peterborough, with a life-size, Romanesque statue of a naked woman and a koi pond. The property was seized by police as proceeds of crime in a drug raid. The Bandidos were officially disbanded at the time of the 2006 massacre of Pammett’s clubmates. Six Canadian Bandidos and associates, including Kellestine, were convicted of the murders, and are now each serving life terms. http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/846838--last-of-the-bandidos-jailed-again