Hells Angel Jesse Bitz to stand trial for death threats

A Saskatoon member of the Hells Angels will stand trial on charges hethreatened to kill the owner of a local mining company.

A judge ruled at a preliminary hearing this morning that there's enough evidenceagainst Jesse Bitz to proceed to trial. Bitz elected to be tried by Queen's Bench judge alone. No date has been set.

Case dates back a year

Bitz is accused of eight counts of threatening to kill Leonard Banga, the owner of Xtreme Mining and Demolition. The pair had a dispute which led Banga to fire Bitz. That's when the alleged threats took place.

After firing Bitz, Bangawent on to change his hiring guidelines. He then fired a handful of other Hells Angels on his workforce.

"This new hiring policy came into effect due to the matter currently before the courts, and industry expectations," Banga said outside court.

"Xtreme Mining and Demolition enacted a new hiring policy in the fall of 2013 to prevent individuals with a history of violence and/or involvement in organized crime from working in safety sensitive situations."

Three of the Hells Angels fired after the policy change are now threatening legal action.

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