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One 'Hell' of a Visit
July 16, 2008 08:28:00 AM
By Jeremy Morrison

CALLAWAY - Not everyone believed Paul Stevens when he said in June he was starting a chapter of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club in Florida.
Stevens however, brushed off the cycnics as well as any mention of possible retribution for using the club's name and insignia without perniission.
"I'm not going anywhere," he said, maintaining his legitimacy.
On Saturday, the Bay County Sheriff's Office received a call from Stevens' wife. Two men identifying themselves as Hells Angels were at the door.
"They were as sweet as sugar," said Sgt. Adam Buff, a responding officer. "I can only speculate as to why."
The bikers apparently served Stevens with cease and desist papers, then got back into their van and left, according to the incident report.
It began with an ad
A curious advertisement last month in The News Herald featured the Hells Angels skull and wings "deathhead" logo and called for 50 new members for a new Gulf Chapter. It said: "all races & sexes welcome." In a subsequent article, Stevens laid out plans for a chapter he hoped eventually would encompass any state touching the Gulf of Mexico, and possibly Mexico.
The public response was swift and unforgiving. Numerous men claiming to be Hells Angels took odds with Stevens' claims. One phone message summed up their collective sentiment: "This guy's a clown down there. C'mon, man, you're asking if this guy's real? Please!"
"A single man does not decide he's going to start a chapter of the Hells Angels and just hang out a shingle," said a man identifying himself as Fritz Clapp, an attorney who represents the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club copyright interests.
He said he was not happy about the news coming out of Florida.
"We make a very big deal about it," Clapp said of the club and its licensed images. "People have died for these things. They are the elite of motorcycle clubs."
Clapp said Stevens would be issued with cease and desist papers, requesting that he abandon the Hells Angels Gulf Inc. moniker registered in 2007 as a Florida corporation.
"Ordinarily, it doesn't take much more than a stern warning," Fritz said, recalling his suits against Disney and Pepe Jeans. "It's usually a one-punch fight."
Stevens didn't flinch: "Until I actually end up in a courthouse, I'm not worried about it."
In Outlaw land
Motorcycle clubs in America generally are territorial. Florida is not thought to be friendly territory for the Hells Angels.
"Are Hells Angels in Florida? No," said Ruth Sasser, spokeswoman for the Bay County Sheriff Office. "It is generally accepted that the Outlaws are in Florida."
When Stevens began heralding his Gulf Chapter, ears in the law enforcement community perked up.
"Any group with the reputation of the Hells Angels coming to town, obviously we're interested in learning more," said Tommy Ford, supervisor at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's Panama City office.
Ford said he didn't know if Stevens was legit.
"I don't know," he said. "I have been unable, just like you, to verify the validity of it."
Local law enforcement wasn't entirely unaware of Stevens. In May, officers responded to an incident in Panama City Beach that involved an apparent standoff between Stevens and a collection of local Outlaws. According to the incident report, Stevens reported that four local Outlaws had taken issue with his selling T-shirts out of a truck marked "H.A.M.C. Store."
The situation, as reported by Stevens, escalated until one of the Outlaws pulled out a gun, Stevens pulled a knife, and a number of his T-shirts were taken. After taking his two children home, Stevens apparently returned to the scene.
"He stated that he could not hide," the report detailed. "He had to stand his ground."
Deputies were not able to verify the Stevens' account, and no arrests were made.
If Stevens' T-shirt standoff didn't immediately grab the attention of law enforcement, his news of a Gulf Chapter did.
"I've got undercovers circling my block since the article came out," Stevens said.
Ford said there was a concern for Stevens' safety, as well as the possibility of friction between motorcycle clubs. They were keeping an eye on the situation.
"I would say monitoring at this point," Ford said.
Stevens reported receiving death threats. He also was fielding calls from bikers interested in joining up. A woman from Britain, he said, seemed very interested.
"She's been calling every two days," he said. "She wants to move over here."
Chaotic waffles
The Hells Angels is more than a motorcycle club; it's a corporation. But unlike a corporation, there is no official voice, no public relation specialist or press statements. Further, as a rule, the group does not talk to the media.
This shadowy modus operandi makes verifying identity and claims an iffy task. Clapp attempted to get several Hells Angels to go on the record for this story, but was unsuccessful.
Stevens also was reluctant to provide a higher-up to verify his Gulf Chapter plans. He eventually did come up with a phone number, which led to a man claiming to be a sergeant of arms with the Hells Angels. Stevens had referred to him as an "enforcer."
"This is Chaos, you looking for Chaos?" said the voice that answered the phone.
Chaos said he did not know Stevens, but was planning to visit Bay County to get a handle on the situation. He made plans to discuss the matter at a local Waffle House.
"I'll let you talk with Sonny Barger," Chaos said, promising a telephone interview with the Hells Angels icon. "You know who Sonny Barger is?"
Barger can't be considered a spokesman for the club, but is the most recognizable face of the Hells Angels. The founding member writes books and signs autographs.
Clapp laughed at the notion of a Waffle House teleconference. He recounted a recent visit with Barger during which the pair discussed the brewings in Florida.
"We were joking about how far out this guy must be," Clapp said. "He's flat-out delusional, but he's keeping up the show, there's no doubt about that."
Chaos never showed to eat waffles in Bay County. Neither did Fritz provide verifiable Hells Angels contacts.
"I think I have indulged you about as much as I need to," Clapp said. "Would you like a member named Big from South Carolina to stomp into your office? Would that give you a thrill? Actually, we don't need to prove anything to you."
Knock, knock
The group of men sporting Hells Angels colors who paid a visit to Stevens arrived in the Panama City area traveling in a Toyota van, according to the incident report. They checked into the Comfort Inn. It was a business trip.
After speaking with the two, Buff said he has little doubt they were who they claimed.
"These guys, I'm gonna tell you, were the real deal," he said.
Buff recalled "the bigger one" identifying himself as a member of the executive board for the Southeast Chapter of the club. The sheriff's report lists the visitors as Ellis Howard Schindler, a 265-pound man from South Carolina, and Bradley Paul Buehrle from Virginia.
The men were issued with warnings for trespassing, and officers oversaw the handoff of legal documents which requested Stevens dissolve his company. The men said they were on a mission from a Hells Angels attorney.
Buff reported the two men left Stevens' property and returned to their motel room. The entire group then promptly left town.
Stevens could not be reached for comment, but did leave a phone message following the visit. He referred to the overall situation as "one big mess" but continued to stand his ground.
"I openly challenge anybody to take me to court over this. It's not going to happen the way they think it's going to happen," Stevens said. "I ain't worried, on any note."

http://www.newsherald.com/news/hells_27151___article.html/visit_chapter.html