Alleged Gang Member With Ties To Ebel Held On $250,000 Bond
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP/CBS4) - A man believed to be a white supremacist prison gang member arrested in connection with the shooting death of Colorado's prisons chief was ordered held on $250,000 bond on Monday.
A magistrate set the bond for James Lohr, 47, of Colorado Springs, as he made his first court appearance since his arrest Friday.
Lohr is one of two alleged members of the 211 Crew named as persons of interest in the case because of their contact with gang member Evan Ebel, the only suspect named so far in the killing of Tom Clements. The other, Thomas Guolee, remains at large.
"Tommy would give you his last five bucks if you needed it, but honestly I don't know what he is thinking right now," Guolee's mother Deborah Eck said. "If he didn't have anything to do with this he should be turning himself in right now. Somehow, some way he's being brought into this."
Authorities haven't said whether talking to Lohr has helped their investigation into how Clements was killed. El Paso County sheriff's office spokesman Lt. Jeff Kramer said Monday that investigators are still trying to determine whether other people were involved.
Lohr is being held on suspicion of vehicular eluding, reckless driving and speeding. He was previously wanted for three outstanding warrants unrelated to the Clements case.
He appeared in court by video from jail and didn't speak except to answer a barely audible "no" when asked if he had any questions.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Jeffrey Lindsey attended the hearing but left without comment.
Clements was shot as he answered his door March 19 in Monument, just north of Colorado Springs. Ebel, who died after a shootout in Texas, is also suspected in the death of pizza delivery man Nate Leon two days before. His body was found in the Denver suburb of Golden.
Authorities believe Lohr was in contact with Ebel days before the killings of Clements and Leon.
Police arrested Lohr in Colorado Springs after a short foot chase that started when officers tried to stop the car he was driving.
Investigators said surveillance video from a business showed a gun being thrown from Lohr's vehicle before his arrest. The weapon was turned over to authorities by someone who received it from a man who later spotted it and picked it up.
- By P. Solomon Banda, AP Writer
CBS4 staff contributed to this report.
(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
