For years, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Deputy Christopher Bingham had two jobs: as a law enforcement officer in the Inland Empire, and as the owner of a gun store in Twentynine Palms.
But authorities on Thursday said Bingham had more than two jobs — he had a double-life that was complicated and illicit. He’s accused of being a member of a local outlaw motorcycle gang and committing numerous firearms crimes in connection with the gang’s enterprise, including stealing a shotgun from his own Sheriff’s Department.
The case against the deputy is the result of a months-long probe by gang and narcotics detectives who uncovered a cache of 160 firearms in the lawman’s home, including the stolen shotgun, according to a statement from the department.
Bingham, 45, was detained Thursday afternoon at his Twentynine Palms home and booked at around 1 p.m. in county lockup. He’s being held in lieu of $500,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in court Monday.
He could not be reached for comment, and it’s unclear if he has an attorney.
“The actions of this deputy are alarming and inexcusable; he not only tarnishes his badge but also undermines the integrity and credibility of the entire department,” said Sheriff Shannon Dicus in a statement. “Criminal behavior will not be tolerated, and we have placed him on compulsory leave effective immediately.”
The investigation into Bingham began in January, when detectives with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department confirmed that he socialized with and rode bikes with members of the motorcycle gang. The group’s name was not publicly disclosed.
On a weekend in late March, investigators along with the California Highway Patrol conducted a traffic stop of Bingham and two other gang members. During the stop, investigators found him carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm. Bingham was arrested March 23 and later released.
During a subsequent search of Bingham’s residence, authorities found 160 firearms, including an automatic assault rifle with an attached grenade launcher, along with silencers and motorcycle-gang-related paraphernalia.
Authorities also found the shotgun that was allegedly stolen from the Sheriff’s Department.
Bingham was charged Thursday with 10 felonies including possession of a machine gun; possession of a short-barreled rifle; grand theft of a firearm; possession of a stolen firearm; and participation in a criminal street gang. All 10 counts carry an enhancement for being done in association with a gang.
For years, Bingham had a side business running a gun store in Twentynine Palms called O’Three Tactical, according to public records and news reports.
The business shuttered in June 2021, with a message posted on the store’s Facebook page stating, “After being unable to maintain any kind of inventory and hemorrhaging [sic] my own personal finances over the last year trying to keep our doors open, O’Three Tactical will be permanently closing its doors.”
He referenced a shortage of ammunition and firearms as one factor crippling the business.
“We had a good six year run, but all the drama that caused the last few hoarding issues hit a majory [sic] artery, just like thousands and thousands of other small businesses,” Bingham said, suggesting he was close to bankruptcy.
That year, former customers and a vendor brought him to court alleging unpaid bills or failing to provide firearms they had purchased. An ammunition vendor claimed it was owed just under $2,000 for ammo it had delivered, and another customer filed a small-claims action claiming that his approximately $6,000 order was canceled and that Bingham had kept the money in a business account. Both cases were dismissed.
In 2017, Bingham’s personal and professional lives merged. That year, a former Marine machine gunner, Rafael Aikens, was accused of killing his onetime romantic partner, 32-year-old Christy McKissic, and her mother, Renee Metcalf.
At Aikens’ 2019 trial, Bingham testified to arriving at the scene of the slayings, and also selling Aikens a .45-caliber handgun weeks before the double homicide, according to news reports on the trial.
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