Hells Angel Pleads Guilty To Minor Charge Incident Involved Deputy Prosecutor

One of four Spokane Hells Angels tried last fall for intimidating a public official pleaded guilty Monday to a lesser charge his attorney called “one step above jaywalking.”

Michael Cultis, 50, pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and agreed to pay a $100 fine for an incident involving Spokane County Deputy Prosecutor David Hearrean last year.

District Court Judge John Madden also sentenced Cultis to 90 days in jail, but suspended 88 of those days and gave Cultis credit for two days already served in jail.

Defense attorney Bevan Maxey said the plea was not an admission of guilt but “a way to get this matter resolved.” He said Cultis’ defense from last year’s trial cost about $10,000.

“This plea is a result of the state having the power and the money to continue with these charges,” Maxey said.

Cultis, Richard Fabel, Joe Dye and Michael Wooster spent two weeks in trial last October on charges they glared and silently threatened Hearrean at a downtown club.

At the time of the alleged intimidation, Hearrean was chief prosecutor in the murder trial of another Hells Angel, Timothy Myers.

Myers was acquitted on the murder charge, but was tried with the other four Hells Angels on charges of intimidating a witness.

A judge ordered a mistrial in the intimidation trial after jurors told her they had seen a club member ride past the courthouse on his motorcycle the first night of deliberations.

Superior Court Judge Tari Eitzen also dismissed the intimidation charges against Fabel and Dye, saying prosecutors had not established they were near enough to Hearrean to cause intimidation.

Prosecutors plan to retry Wooster and Myers next month. Monday’s guilty plea settles Cultis’ involvement in the case.

Cultis currently is serving a work-release sentence for two unrelated convictions, conspiracy with intent to deliver a controlled substance and unlawful possession of a firearm.

, DataTimes