Cops: Drugs, guns, ties to gang found in Kouts home

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BY JOE CARLSON
jcarlson@nwitimes.com
219.933.3364 | Friday, June 27, 2008 | (4 comment(s))

HAMMOND | In a raid Tuesday on Kathleen "Kat" Conley's home in rural Kouts, authorities found chemicals and equipment to make methamphetamines, swastikas and symbols of the Invaders biker gang, and an array of guns and surveillance cameras, authorities said.

"And roughly how many firearms were there?" Assistant U.S. Attorney David Nozick asked during a detention hearing Thursday.

"Roughly 35," responded Michael Burke, special agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

After hearing the testimony, Magistrate Judge Andrew Rodovich ruled Conley was a "danger to the community" and should not be released on bond.

Conley, 50, was among 37 people who were indicted this week as part of a sting on an alleged methamphetamine distribution organization with ties to the Invaders, several of whom were ordered held without bond Thursday. Search warrants were executed throughout Porter County, as well as in St. Louis, Denver and elsewhere.

Also indicted in the sting was Timothy "Beefy" Bartruff, 50, of Kouts. Though he was charged, federal court records do not say he has been arrested.

News articles and federal records from the 1980s say Bartruff was the national president of the Invaders before he was sentenced to a 10-year prison term in 1987 for dealing in methamphetamines in Porter County.

Burke testified Thursday that Conley had been running a meth lab in Kouts "for years," and that she also allowed Bartruff to take up residence in the home at 1274 S. 600 East, based on conversations in intercepted phone calls.

Defense attorney Brian Woodward said Conley had asthma and hay fever, which was why she would have capsules of pseudoephedrin -- a chemical used to make meth -- around her house.

"And you would also know that females are not allowed to be members" of the Invaders? Woodward asked Burke.

"The bylaws indicate that women can be owned by members of the motorcycle group," Burke said.

Burke said Conley also let the investigation's main target, Richard "Tricky" Kasper, manufacture meth at her home.

That's why a lounge chair in her living room was located near two semiautomatic handguns and a bank of monitors hooked up to external surveillance cameras, Burke said.

Kasper also was arrested, but his detention hearing Thursday was postponed until Tuesday.

In addition to meth, Kasper's alleged organization was charged with dealing large quantities of marijuana -- which Burke said Kasper acquired from Steven Campbell, 49, of Chicago.

Campbell, a three-time felon, admitted being in possession of 8 pounds of marijuana and at least two handguns when police raided his Bridgeport neighborhood home.

Defense attorney John Maksimovich said Campbell discovered the drugs and guns in a cooler in an alley behind his garage just days before the raid, and did not hesitate to show authorities where they were.

"He was intending on calling the authorities, and he just had not gotten around to it," Maksimovich said.

Campbell also was called a danger to society and held without bond.

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skeptical wrote on Jun 27, 2008 2:48 PM:

" Election time must be near, because the criminals that have been dealing for years have all of a sudden been caught!!! And those dealers are only the tip of network. Gangs report to bosses in a power line to top politics across the country...who is it in Porter, Lake, and Jasper counties? Why ask, since death doesn't even deserve a decent forensic investigation here....the interest is the MONEY!!!! "

Disgusted wrote on Jun 27, 2008 10:07 AM:

" Mysogyny, alleged gang affiliation and Swastikas? Aren't these the same type of people who complain about minorities "stealing" jobs, "corrupting" the youth and also these ignoramuses convince themselves they're superior than a hardworking minority with a college education? Instead of focusing energy on either looking for a legitimate job or seeking a college education to better themselves, these white supremicist idiots use their time to produce/use/distribute crystal meth. It's about time they were busted. These despicable people should be exiled into the tundra along with pedophiles and murderers and then fend for themselves. Our society is better off without them. "

gonzo wrote on Jun 27, 2008 9:47 AM:

" Well, the truth of the matter is, some bleeding heart liberal wil believe those stories and they will get off. Those attories should be barred from practicing law, with those dumb excuses. We are just teaching our society to lie, what a couple of disgraces. "

Paul wrote on Jun 27, 2008 6:28 AM:

" "has asthma and hay fever", "found the drugs in an alley" these are the excuses used in court? And that is why they call it dope! to the lawyers of these brainyacts, let them take the stand, tell thier story and let the court know what complete ediots they are. May be they will get an extra 10 years for stupidity "

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