DAVENPORT, IA - On August 13, 2008, The Federal Grand Jury in Davenport returned an indictment against four defendants on federal interference with civil rights charges, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew G. Whitaker. Three of those defendants, Timothy G. Ketner, Wendie Groen and Jeffery Thomas Lee, appeared in federal court this morning, in front of Chief Magistrate Judge Thomas J. Shields. The forth defendant, Pistol Wolf Holliday had his initial appearance and arraignment on August 20, 2008.

During this morning’s proceedings Ketner and Groen were arraigned and Lee had his initial appearance. A trial date of Oct 20, 2008, has been set for Ketner, Groen and Holliday. Lee’s trail date will be set at arraignment. All four defendants were release on bond.

The four defendants are charged with two counts of interference with federally protected activities. The indictment states that Lee, Ketner, Holliday and Groen, on December 13, 2007, in Muscatine County, did willfully injure, intimidate and interfere, and attempt to injure, intimidate and interfere with two separate African American males, by force and threat of force, resulting in bodily injury, because of the race and color of each and because each was enjoying the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages and accommodations of any facility which serves the public and was principally engaged in selling food and beverages for consumption on the premises, to wit: the Canterbury Pub at the Econolodge.

The indictment is a charging instrument and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a resonable doubt in a court of law. If convicted each of these charges would carry a potential penalty of not more than ten years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both fine and imprisonment, a period of supervised release of not more than three years, and a $100 special assessment to the Crime Victim Fund.

This case is being prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Iowa. This investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Muscatine Police Department, and the Muscatine County Attorney’s Office.