For years, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Deputy Christopher Bingham had two jobs: as a regulation enforcement officer within the Inland Empire, and because the proprietor of a gun retailer in Twentynine Palms.
However authorities on Thursday stated Bingham had greater than two jobs — he had a double-life that was sophisticated and illicit. He’s accused of being a member of a neighborhood outlaw bike gang and committing quite a few firearms crimes in reference to the gang’s enterprise, together with stealing a shotgun from his personal Sheriff’s Division.
The case in opposition to the deputy is the results of a months-long probe by gang and narcotics detectives who uncovered a cache of 160 firearms within the lawman’s residence, together with the stolen shotgun, in response to an announcement from the division.
Bingham, 45, was detained Thursday afternoon at his Twentynine Palms residence and booked at round 1 p.m. in county lockup. He’s being held in lieu of $500,000 bail and is scheduled to seem in court docket Monday.
He couldn’t be reached for remark, and it’s unclear if he has an lawyer.
“The actions of this deputy are alarming and inexcusable; he not solely tarnishes his badge but in addition undermines the integrity and credibility of the whole division,” stated Sheriff Shannon Dicus in an announcement. “Prison conduct won’t be tolerated, and we’ve positioned him on obligatory depart efficient instantly.”
The investigation into Bingham started in January, when detectives with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Division confirmed that he socialized with and rode bikes with members of the bike gang. The group’s title was not publicly disclosed.
On a weekend in late March, investigators together with the California Freeway Patrol performed a site visitors cease of Bingham and two different gang members. Throughout the cease, investigators discovered him carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm. Bingham was arrested March 23 and later launched.
Throughout a subsequent search of Bingham’s residence, authorities discovered 160 firearms, together with an computerized assault rifle with an hooked up grenade launcher, together with silencers and motorcycle-gang-related paraphernalia.
Authorities additionally discovered the shotgun that was allegedly stolen from the Sheriff’s Division.
Bingham was charged Thursday with 10 felonies together with possession of a machine gun; possession of a short-barreled rifle; grand theft of a firearm; possession of a stolen firearm; and participation in a felony avenue gang. All 10 counts carry an enhancement for being completed in affiliation with a gang.
For years, Bingham had a facet enterprise working a gun retailer in Twentynine Palms known as O’Three Tactical, in response to public data and information reviews.
The enterprise shuttered in June 2021, with a message posted on the shop’s Fb web page stating, “After being unable to take care of any sort of stock and hemorrhaging [sic] my very own private funds during the last yr attempting to maintain our doorways open, O’Three Tactical might be completely closing its doorways.”
He referenced a scarcity of ammunition and firearms as one issue crippling the enterprise.
“We had a great six yr run, however all of the drama that prompted the previous few hoarding points hit a majory [sic] artery, identical to 1000’s and 1000’s of different small companies,” Bingham stated, suggesting he was near chapter.
That yr, former clients and a vendor introduced him to court docket alleging unpaid payments or failing to supply firearms they’d bought. An ammunition vendor claimed it was owed just below $2,000 for ammo it had delivered, and one other buyer filed a small-claims motion claiming that his roughly $6,000 order was canceled and that Bingham had saved the cash in a enterprise account. Each circumstances have been dismissed.
In 2017, Bingham’s private {and professional} lives merged. That yr, a former Marine machine gunner, Rafael Aikens, was accused of killing his onetime romantic companion, 32-year-old Christy McKissic, and her mom, Renee Metcalf.
At Aikens’ 2019 trial, Bingham testified to arriving on the scene of the slayings, and in addition promoting Aikens a .45-caliber handgun weeks earlier than the double murder, in response to information reviews on the trial.
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