Four members of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club have informed Crown Counsel of their intention to enter not-guilty pleas to weapons and drug charges relating to a traffic stop in Salmon Arm on Nov. 25.
The four men, Cory Montemurro, Joseph Skreptak, Dennis Miner and Carl Ennis, will appear again in court April 12 to set a trial date.
The group was arrested after they were stopped by police for speeding on the Trans-Canada Highway near Salmon Arm around 10 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 25. Police say they detected an odour of marijuana and then searched the car.
They found several firearms including a sawed-off shotgun, three handguns and a large quantity of ammunition. Police also recovered a bulletproof vest, a baseball bat, an axe handle, knives, bear spray and a radio jamming device designed to block outgoing transmissions.
Ennis, 39, Miner, 35, and Skreptak, 43, each face four counts of possession of a prohibited/restricted firearm with ammunition, two counts of occupying a vehicle in which there is a firearm, one count of storage of a firearm contrary to regulation and possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose. Skreptak is also charged with possession of a controlled substance.
Montemurro, 40, is facing those same weapons charges as well as a charge of carrying a concealed weapon
Montemurro is the sole suspect remaining in custody, the other three have been released on bail.