A second Pagan’s biker gang member arrested over drugs and weapons, Keys deputies say
For the second time in a week, a Key West member of a notorious motorcycle gang was arrested after being found with weapons and cocaine, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said.
Austin Christopher Reynolds, 26, was arrested Thursday on Stock Island, just outside Key West, after a deputy recognized him and knew he had a suspended driver’s license, sheriff’s office spokesman Adam Linhardt said.
Reynolds is a member of the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club, which the U.S. Justice Department describes as an outlaw motorcycle gang linked to violent crimes and trafficking of drugs and weapons, Linhardt said.
Deputy Aaron Roddy spotted the biker leaving Key West on the Overseas Highway at 5:14 p.m. Thursday.
Roddy tried to pull him over but couldn’t safely keep up after Reynolds veered onto a nearby bike path during heavy traffic, Linhardt said.
Deputies searched the area and found Reynolds near Fifth Avenue and Balido Street on Stock Island. He had a large knife and about two grams of cocaine on him, Linhardt said.
They also found a .45 caliber pistol in the grass that a witness said Reynolds tossed as he was fleeing, Linhardt said.
Reynolds was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon — for the knife — possession of cocaine, fleeing and eluding, evidence tampering, reckless driving and knowingly driving with a suspended license.
Reynolds, who has a 2016 felony drug conviction in Georgia, was taken to the county jail on Stock Island, Linhardt said.
Reynolds on Friday remained in jail on a $70,000 bond. It was unclear whether he has a lawyer.
CLUES FOUND IN TRASH CANS
The first arrest of a Key West man the sheriff’s office said belongs to the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club came after police searched his household garbage.
On Jan. 27, the sheriff’s SWAT team and other local and federal agencies arrived at home in the 2700 block of Staples Avenue with a search warrant.
Justin August Meyer, 31, who has a 2013 felony theft conviction, was found with an AR-15 rifle, two pistols —a 45-caliber and a 9mm — along with 140 rounds of ammunition, nearly 12 grams of cocaine, $3,310 in suspected drug proceeds and a digital scale, Linhardt said.
Asked if Meyer and Reynolds know each other, Linhardt said, “I don’t know, but they are in the same motorcycle gang.”
Meyer was living in a rear structure of the home that is separate from the main house, according to the arrest report.
When police arrived, Meyer was seen leaving his place with a .45 caliber pistol in his hand, but he dropped it when he saw officers, deputies said.
The cocaine was found in a shed behind the house while a loaded 9mm Kel Tech handgun was in the carport, police said. A number of items bearing the Pagan’s insignia and patches were found in the shed, carport and rear residence.
After receiving a tip that Meyer was dealing drugs, police in late
December went to his home on garbage day and left with multiple trash bags, according to the application for a search warrant filed at the Monroe County Courthouse.
The trash included a piece of mail from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs addressed to Meyer, along with two pieces of plastic bags that both tested positive for cocaine and multiple Pagan’s Motorcycle Club shirts, the application said.
Two weeks later, deputies returned to the Staples Avenue home to take away more garbage to search. They found another portion of a plastic bag that tested positive for cocaine.
Meyer also remained jailed Friday on a $230,000 bond.