Judge stands firm: Road Dog cycle shop owner Bob Holloway to stay in jail awaiting trial

FRESNO -- After listening to testimony that stretched across five days and ended Wednesday, U.S. District Court Judge Oliver W. Wanger confirmed his earlier decision to keep retired Stanislaus sheriff's deputy and Road Dog Cycle owner Robert Holloway in jail without bail, pending trial on racketeering charges.

Holloway supporters tried to sway the judge by sending dozens of letters and a petition to the federal court, asking that the Turlock resident be allowed to pledge property worth $1.25 million in exchange for his release from jail in Fresno.

The judge also heard testimony from a string of investigators who allege that Holloway, his son Brent Holloway and six others who are affiliated with outlaw motorcycle gangs trafficked in stolen motor vehicle parts and collected debts by force or with the threat of force.

At the close of the lengthy bail review hearing, the judge agreed with prosecutors who contend that Holloway's release would pose a threat to the community, according to court records.

Holloway, 60, had his 16-year career with the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department cut short in 1985, after a drunken driver slammed head-on into his patrol car.

He gained notoriety in July 1997 after he confronted a career criminal who tried to rob his Denair shop, killing the man during a scuffle. A jury acquitted Holloway of murder charges in 2001.

But he faces decades in prison and fines of up to $2.5 million if convicted of nine felonies that range from racketeering to extortion to running a chop shop.