Shock over allegations that professor led motorcycle gang

The father of a Cal State San Bernardino professor accused of leading a motorcycle gang said he was shocked and "sick to my stomach" about the allegations against his son.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department on Thursday said Stephen J. Kinzey, a 43-year-old kinesiology professor, allegedly led a local chapter of the Devils Diciples Outlaw motorcycle gang and a methamphetamine drug operation.

Authorities arrested nine suspected mid- and street-level dealers involved in the drug ring shortly after raiding Kinzey's home, where they allegedly found more than a pound of methamphetamine, rifles, handguns, body armor, leather biker vests and other biker paraphernalia.

Kinzey remains a fugitive and is considered armed and dangerous, authorities said.

His father, Hank Kinzey of Rochester Hills, Mich., said he was "sick to my stomach" after learning about the allegations.

"My son is a Christian. He's a good father of a good little girl," the elder Kinzey said. "My son doesn't drink. My son doesn't smoke. I don't get it. He's a Ph.D."

Hank Kinzey said he went on a motorcycle ride with his son just a month ago in Michigan. He conceded  having some concerns when his son told him years ago that he had joined a "motorcycle club."

"I was surprised that he joined that club lifestyle, but he always kept it away from work," Hank Kinzey said.

Indeed, Stephen Kinzey appeared to leave a model life. He chaired academic committees, tweeted his concerns about child obesity and lived quietly in a well-trimmed Highland neighborhood.

"To have an associate professor who is a member of the Devils Diciples and allegedly dealing methamphetamine is quite alarming. I mean, it's unusual to say the least," Sheriff Rod Hoops said at a news conference in San Bernardino.

Kinzey's neighbors in the upscale East Highlands Ranch community said the professor and his girlfriend were reserved and friendly, although occasionally their driveway would be filled with friends who rode over on their Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Still, the couple never had loud parties or fired up their bikes late at night.

Kinzey and Robinson's two-story, clay-tile-roof home was immaculate, with blooming flowers out front and towering palms on either side. A sticker from a Redlands gun shop was plastered on the front door. It read: "Gun control should be hitting what you aim at."

 

 

You Might Also Like :