Wednesday, Tom Lyden reported in Victim: DA went easy on Wis. biker gang that attacked her*:
A western Wisconsin woman said at least three members of a motorcycle club beat her and she believes prosecutors went easy on the men because they are intimidated by the bikers.
The attack happened in Buffalo County, just off the highway across the river from Winona, Minn.
In April 2015, Samantha had gone out drinking with Lucas Anderson, a member of the Road Dogs motorcycle club.
The party ended up at the Road Dogs remote clubhouse on an isolated hill top, a former strip club called the Gin Mill.
Samantha said she wanted to leave and went to the parking lot to search for her cell phone and house keys.
According to confidential witnesses, there was drama involved. Samantha got upset when Anderson started flirting with another woman. She then refused to leave and knocked over a motorcycle.
That's when at least three Road Dogs, maybe more, started punching Samantha. . . .
Where have we heard about the Road Dogs and the Gin Mill before?
There's this September 2001 report in the LaCrosse Tribune, Drazkowski hangs onto Buffalo County chairman post:
A push to remove Ron Drazkowski as chairman of the Buffalo County Board was shot down by a tie vote Tuesday night.
A motion calling for a new county board chairman election lost on an 8-8 vote after Drazkowski apologized to county residents and board supervisors for a rave party on his land in Bluff Siding over the Labor Day weekend.
Drazkowski and the Road Dogs Motorcycle Club, which operates the Gin Mill Tavern in the town of Buffalo, said they were misled about the party and didn't know in advance that thousands of people would be there.
"No rave party will happen again on top of the hill there," Drazkowski said, referring to hay fields adjacent to the Gin Mill that he allowed the bar to use for a music festival run by Drop Bass Network of Milwaukee. . .
Several people, including three of Drazkowski's sons who are members of the Road Dogs, defended their father at Tuesday's meeting. . . .
Another of Ron Drazkowski's sons, Minnesota State Representative Steve Drazkowski, R-Mazeppa, is not a member of the Road Dogs.
But his brothers aren't just members of the motorcycle club. They were managing the Gin Mill, according to the 2001 story:
Chris Drazkowski said no one knew that promoters were planning a "big rave party" and there was no way his father would have allowed it had he known in advance what was going to happen.
Pat McKeeth and Lee Drazkowski, who manages the Gin Mill, said they signed a contract with DBN for what they thought was going to be an outdoor dance and music festival drawing up to 800 people.
Years later, the Gin Mill was torched, according to a 2007 LaCrosse Tribune story, Fire destroys Gin Mill strip club:
Gin Mill co-owner Tom Drazkowski saw the smoke first.
Drazkowski, who lives a mile from the rural Buffalo City strip club and bar, stepped outside around 7:30 a.m. Wednesday and saw a column of black smoke rising into the morning sky. He ran to the bar, dialing 911 on the way.
Gin Mill co-owner Tom Drazkowski saw the smoke first.
Drazkowski, who lives a mile from the rural Buffalo City strip club and bar, stepped outside around 7:30 a.m. Wednesday and saw a column of black smoke rising into the morning sky. He ran to the bar, dialing 911 on the way.
Gin Mill Not A "Former Club"
A 2008 report in the Winona Daily News, "The Gin Mill tavern, owned by Gin Mill, Inc., was termed a total loss and torn down soon after the fire."
However the June 2015 minutes for Buffalo Township note that Gin Mill Inc./Tom Drazkowski holds a Class “B” Beer & Class “B” Liquor license.
Moreover, there's an active Facebook page that suggests that the club is very much open as the The Gin Mill "Place to Eat/Drink" that offers "Adult Entertainment." The Road Dogs will be having their 28th Annual Summer Bash in June, according one posting to the Facebook page.
According to a November 2013 comment on the page, the Gin Mill is "[n]ot a new strip club, just rebuilding the old one - which burnt down years back. Come on up!"
According to the Gin Mill's Facebook page posting for January 21, 2015:
The Gin Mill will remain open for the remainder of the winter! Just a reminder we still have 2 dollar been and 3 dollar drinks! Open 6 pm to close Friday and Saturday year round. New dancers are always in demand call 608 687 4466 for bookings.
According to the Fox9 story, Samantha was attacked in April 2015. Update: The Winona Post reported that the attack took place on April 11, which was a Saturday night. This wasn't just a "club house" night, but a night on which the bar was open to the public. The club was open on Friday and Saturday in April 2015, according to posts on April 7, 2015, April 12 & April 14 and other days that month. And there's this at the end of April 2015:
The club is still open. Recent 2016 talent is promoted on the strip bar's page:
The slogan on Steve Drazkowski's campaign website is "Rural Values. Committed Leadership." We suppose the Drazkowski family values that the Road Dog-member Drazkowski brothers promote might just be that.
Update: A source tells Bluestem that the property has changed hands, but we're unable to find a record of the address in the Buffalo County WI land records online. This does not mean that the transaction didn't happen--only that it is more searchable under a parcel number.
We're curious when the Road Dogs and the Gin Mill broke with the extended Draz family, if indeed they have. Drazkowski's mother Sandy defended the Road Dogs and the Gin Mill in a 2012 tweet. The bar started up again in July 2013, according to a July 28, 2013 post.
Screengrabs: Fox 9 (above); Gin Mill Facebook page (below).
*The title of the article has been changed to "Victim: DA went easy on Wis. motorcycle club that attacked her."
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Why did I sense half way into this article that Tony Cornish would somehow make an appearance. This guy is such a fraud.
Editor's note: While Bluestem is no fan of Tony Cornish, he refused to give Drazkowski's bill a hearing, while noting that as motorcyclist, he had never been unfairly profiled by law enforcement. We agree with Chair Cornish on not giving the Draz bill the time of day.
Posted by: Joe McLean | May 26, 2016 at 04:26 AM