Permit or porno? Different reasons given for Catoosa officials putting brakes on biker party

Catoosa County (Ga) Sheriff Gary Sisk makes a statement at the Sheriff's Department in this 2014 file photo.
Catoosa County (Ga) Sheriff Gary Sisk makes a statement at the Sheriff's Department in this 2014 file photo.

What shut down the event: The paperwork or the porno?

A couple of Ringgold, Ga., residents hoped to hold a motorcycle rally on their property this weekend, but Catoosa County officials denied their permit request. When the men said they were going to host the "Party at the Peavine" anyway, a judge issued an injunction Wednesday, meaning the event organizers could be held in contempt of court if they went ahead.

So on Thursday morning, when the three-day party was supposed to begin, Gerald Drain and Kenny Cross stood on Drain's 73-acre Pine Grove Road property, waiting to tell any local bikers who hadn't heard the news that the event was canceled. A Catoosa County patrol car sat parked nearby.

When county Planning and Zoning Administrator James Davis denied the permit request April 16, he said Cross and Drain failed to follow the instructions on the application, such as providing a list of vendors or saying what time the bands would stop playing.

But he also mentioned that this event sounded "strikingly similar" to a 2006 motorcycle rally on Drain's property. At that party, Davis wrote, people walked around naked, had sex in public and downed too much alcohol and blasted too-loud music.

"They had a wet T-shirt contest that turned into a no T-shirt contest," added Sheriff Gary Sisk.

The partiers also projected porn on large screens, not quite the size of a drive-in movie but big enough for people to see as they drove by on Interstate 75. The sheriff's office investigated one person on rape allegations, though Sisk does not remember if the person was charged.

Cross and Drain believe the 2006 party, organized by a different group but held on Drain's land, is the real reason the county denied their permit request. Expecting about 300 people at this weekend's party, they spent about $4,200 to prepare.

photo Catoosa County (Ga) Sheriff Gary Sisk makes a statement at the Sheriff's Department in this 2014 file photo.

"Catoosa County is a communist county," Drain said. "I'm serious. I had a guy tell me this morning they were. They just pick and choose who they want to help. It's getting out of hand."

But Davis said that's not true: This is simply the result of a shoddy permit application.

"If they had done everything and done it right ... they'd be having their event this weekend," he said.

In his April 16 letter, Davis told Cross and Drain they made seven mistakes. They didn't provide a list of vendors. They didn't give Davis a map of the location showing the nearby streets and sidewalks, the stage, the portable toilets, the vendor tents and the event's entrance and exit.

They also didn't say when bands would perform, when the event would shut down every night, or who the 20 required security guards would be.

Davis said Thursday that the 2006 sex-and-alcohol-fueled party had nothing to do with the permit rejection. He said he mentioned it in his letter to Cross and Drain -- before the list of mundane errors -- because Cross pitched the event as a family-friendly gathering.

While researching the party, Davis found a flier advertising a wet T-shirt party at the event. He didn't think it would be fun for the whole family.

In addition, Davis said, the sheriff's office demanded a fee of about $18,000 up front for 10 deputies who would work overtime, patrolling outside the event in case of trouble. Cross and Drain never gave him the fee, he said.

Sisk was also worried because someone wrote on Facebook on Monday that the bikers could wear their colors. He envisioned violent gangs, squeezed together at a party for three days. He and other county officials thought of the violence in Waco, Texas.

"When you're talking several hundred people consuming alcohol and other things, that tends to create an atmosphere for trouble that could occur," he said. "We don't have a crystal ball. We don't know what will occur. ... But all it takes is one bad person."

Cross and Drain insist the event would have been peaceful. They tried to appeal to the Board of Commissioners on May 5 during the citizen comment period.

Davis said that does not count because Cross and Drain didn't formally ask the county clerk to put them on the agenda.

Cross also gave Davis a new permit application two weeks ago, but Davis said that one wasn't properly filled out, either.

Drain and Cross planned to host another motorcycle rally Labor Day weekend. Cross is now pessimistic, but Drain plans to go forward. He said he just needs to plan better.

"I'm going to have to get a lawyer," he said. "But I'm going to have to find one outside Catoosa County."

Contact staff writer Tyler Jett at tjett@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6476.

Upcoming Events