A man charged with attacking an OPP officer during a traffic stop has links to an Outlaws MC and a past conviction for assaulting a police officer, The Free Press says.
Ron Clause, 51, was charged with assaulting a Middlesex OPP officer last week after Strathroy police pulled over a pickup truck that they say was carrying a gun, ammunition and 27 grams of suspected methamphetamine.
Police say a motorcyclist who also stopped with the truck became aggressive with the officer before taking off down Highway 402, where an OPP officer located him. The officer used a stun gun to subdue the motorcyclist after he allegedly punched the officer in the face during a sobriety test, police said. The officer had minor injuries.
Clause, a resident of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation near Hagersville, is charged with assaulting a peace officer and failing to comply with a demand. He is being held at Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre as a result of his parole being revoked and is to appear in a London court Aug. 4.
The head of the OPP’s biker enforcement unit said Clause was affiliated with the Outlaws, a motorcycle club with chapters across the globe and a long history in Southwestern Ontario.
“I can say historically he’s been known as an Outlaws motorcycle club member,” said Det. Staff Sgt. Scott Wade, whose unit has been involved in the Strathroy investigation.
“We were involved in an assistance capacity,” he said.
A Strathroy police spokesperson said investigators are waiting for a response from the Crown attorney on charges related to items seized from the pickup truck.
Court records show Clause has been charged with assaulting a police officer at least twice in the past.
He was convicted of the crime in 1996 and sentenced to four months in jail. A separate charge of assaulting a police officer that same year was withdrawn, Cayuga courthouse records show.
A Facebook profile appearing in Clause’s name shows photos of him wearing apparel with the Outlaws logo. Only members of the club and their affiliates are permitted to wear the skull and pistons logo.
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Source: The Free Press