VIRGINIA — Prosecutors have dismissed the cases against four members of the Iron Range Hells Angels motorcycle club accused of serious crimes including rape, kidnapping and assault.
Assistant St. Louis County Attorney Chris Florey said the alleged victims “are either unwilling or unable to testify at trial and the state cannot prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt” without their cooperation.
The notices of dismissal were filed late Wednesday, less than two weeks before the first defendant, Paul Anthony Debelak, 39, of Eveleth, was set to face a Virginia jury.
Also charged in the case were Jerand Paul French, 40, of Eveleth; Jake Douglas Novaczyk, 47, of Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota; and Eric Anthony Newman, 50, of Gilman, Wisconsin.
Defense attorneys had aggressively challenged the allegations, arguing that witness accounts and physical evidence did not support the claims. They contended investigators were eager to bring charges against the club and also accused agents of intimidating witnesses and eavesdropping on privileged communications between jailed defendants and their attorneys.
The cases stemmed from allegations that a woman was sexually assaulted and a man was abducted and beaten at the Hells Angels’ downtown Eveleth clubhouse.
Authorities previously reported that the man escaped from the group on crutches Nov. 28, 2023, and ran to the safety of police, expressing fear that members could find him.
Investigators said they went on to learn that both victims were visiting an Eveleth residence Nov. 27 when club members arrived. It was reported that the woman was raped there by Debelak and Newman.
The man, meanwhile, was allegedly taken to the clubhouse in a van driven by Novaczyk. He said he continued to be beaten by French, the chapter’s president, as other members recorded video.
Authorities released few details about the alleged motive or relationships between parties, other than to say that French was allegedly upset about the man’s association with the woman.
Defense attorneys, however, alleged that investigators were looking to implicate the club in serious crimes to justify a Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigation that had been ongoing since at least June 2023.
The attorneys asserted that the alleged victims had been using drugs, a practice that is not tolerated by the Hells Angels, and that they concocted the narrative. They said other witnesses in the house told agents the rape and kidnapping did not occur, and that there was no DNA evidence to support it.
Judge Robert Friday last month upheld charges against Debelak and Newman, ruling there was no attorney-client breach when Debelak subjected his communications to law enforcement monitoring after failing to use the proper channels to contact his lawyer from jail.
The judge also said interview recordings failed to substantiate claims from three defense witnesses that they were threatened with prosecution if they did not comply with orders of BCA agents.
A similar challenge was still pending from French and Novaczyk before Judge Andrew Peterson.
Testimony at a November hearing centered on authorities learning that Novaczyk planned to surprise the state by demanding a speedy trial — a fact Florey promptly disclosed to defense counsel after learning it from a BCA agent who was privy to the jail communication.
Also highlighted by the defense was a statement from Gilbert Police Chief Ty Techar that he believed BCA Special Agent Cory Skorczewski was “going off the deep end.” Techar later clarified he was advised Skorczewski was “stressed and overworked from this case.” Skorczewski testified that he was on medical leave but denied it had to do with the Hells Angels case.
Three of the defendants had been free on bond while awaiting trial. Newman is still in custody as he faces a probation violation stemming from an earlier offense.
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