San Leon residents say their town is more than bikers

SAN LEON, TX (KTRK) -- San Leon claims about 5,000 residents. It's an unincorporated area where fishing is an economic mainstay and, yes, the Banditos motorcycle club was founded there nearly 50 years ago.

Today, we visited not a biker bar, but the American Legion Hall. People who call San Leon home say their town is made of more than bikers.

"We are out of the big city life," said resident Mike Stewart. "We want to be a small community and that's what we are.."

Right now, San Leon on is on the map because of Waco and the co-owner of the community paper takes issue with that.

"There's maybe three or four of them around here," said Steve Hayland with the Sea Breeze News. "People are members of Bandidos and things just like they are of other biker gangs. If you want to talk about gangs killing each other, go to Houston and talk to the mayor."

In the 80s were told the Bandidos were on the sheriff's office radar for drug dealing. Today, the sheriff says things of changed in San Leon.

"As far as gang affiliation done as a group, any issues with them, we haven't had any in recent years or even decades," said Galveston County Sheriff Henry Trochesset.

While the investigation continues in Waco, people in San Leon go about their lives; working, socializing, fishing.

There is a gathering of motorcycle clubs, some of the same ones that were involved in the Waco incident, planned in La Marque. And for that, the Galveston County Sheriff's Office is making plans for security.