Warrant was issued for 37-year old Lawrence Dean Bergstrom, a full-patch member of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang. According to Nanaimo RCMP, aside from the badge and uniform components — including several pairs of pants, shirts and an RCMP duty jacket — police found items used for gift-card fraud and identity theft.
Firearms found at the home included a 22-calibre handgun, 12-gauge shotgun and a high-powered rifle.Nanaimo RCMP said Thursday they had been in contact with Bergstrom and expected that he would turn himself in. Bergstrom is also involved in the ongoing civil case surrounding the forfeiture of the Nanaimo Hells Angels clubhouse in 2007. The clubhouse was the only base on Vancouver Island for the club, one of seven Hells Angels chapters in B.C.Nanaimo Hells Angels spokesman Fred Widdifield said he had not heard of the police raid and was unfamiliar with the property in question.Central Saanich police have verified that the badge found at the house is authentic.“This is very disconcerting,” said Const. Gary O’Brien, spokesman for Nanaimo RCMP. “If there was criminal activity going on in that house,” he said, “we can only assume that they were using the uniform articles to pose as officers for criminal activity.”Police are investigating how the uniform articles wound up at the residence. A spokesman for the Central Saanich police department was unavailable for comment. Although policies differ between police departments, O’Brien said that for the RCMP, badges are issued to officers at the time they’re sworn in.The badge is returned upon retirement, or if an officer resigns or is terminated, he said.Still, he said, the system is not foolproof. “Officers are just like the general public.” Like anyone else, things can be stolen from their houses and cars, he said. O’Brien also pointed out that for the majority of police departments, on-site laundry services are not provided to officers for their uniforms. This means officers who take uniforms to public laundromats risk having articles lost or stolen.
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