Blane Scot Curley, a 25-year-old male, was shot and killed on July 15, 2021, in Lake Ozark, Missouri, during a violent confrontation between rival motorcycle clubs. The incident, which also left four others injured, unfolded on the Bagnell Dam Strip and shattered the evening quiet of the popular tourist area.
The altercation is believed to have involved members of the Galloping Goose, Mongols, and Iron Celtics motorcycle clubs. Tensions between the groups reportedly escalated into a physical fight that quickly turned deadly. Amid the brawl, Tonka Way-Con Ponder, a member of the Galloping Goose club, is said to have fatally shot Curley. Another man, Daniel Kurtzeborn, also a member of the Galloping Goose, was identified as being involved in the exchange of gunfire.
In the immediate aftermath, both Ponder and Kurtzeborn were taken into custody. Ponder was initially charged at the state level with first-degree assault and armed criminal action. Kurtzeborn faced a state charge of unlawful possession of a firearm. However, reports later indicated that these initial state charges against Ponder were dropped, while the charge against Kurtzeborn proceeded.
The investigation took a significant turn when federal authorities became involved, culminating in a sweeping racketeering indictment against multiple members of the Galloping Goose Motorcycle Club, including Ponder and Kurtzeborn. This federal indictment painted a broader picture of alleged criminal activity by the club, including acts of violence, drug trafficking, and illegal firearm possession.
The federal charges against Tonka Way-Con Ponder were extensive, encompassing violent crimes in aid of racketeering, discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and various drug trafficking and firearm offenses. Daniel Kurtzeborn was federally charged with committing a violent crime in aid of racketeering, discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. The federal case, 'United States v. Ponder et al.,' brought the actions of that fatal evening into the larger context of an ongoing criminal enterprise. As of late 2024, the federal case against both men and their co-defendants was proceeding through the court system, with both Ponder and Kurtzeborn remaining in federal custody pending further hearings.
