A Pensacola man has pleaded guilty in federal court to setting off an explosive in a Fort Walton Beach parking lot during a confrontation between rival motorcycle clubs, injuring a nearby restaurant employee.
- Gregory E. Simonds Jr., 42, pleaded guilty to the charge of arson by means of an explosive causing personal injury, according to U.S. Attorney John Heekin of the Northern District of Florida.
Court documents state that on Feb. 15, 2025, Simonds detonated an explosive during an altercation with individuals associated with the Pagans Motorcycle Club in the parking lot of Emerald Coast Harley-Davidson on Beal Parkway. The blast damaged the adjacent Jimmy John’s restaurant and injured one of its employees.
Simonds, identified as a member of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club, fled the scene but was quickly identified and arrested by law enforcement, according to the release. Officers found four additional explosive devices, two firearms, narcotics and drug paraphernalia, and an Outlaws vest in his vehicle — the same vest he had reportedly been seen wearing during the incident.
Federal agents later searched Simonds’ residence and seized additional explosive devices, explosive-making materials and equipment, and evidence indicating he had been manufacturing and selling explosives, according to court documents.
- “Targeting, prosecuting, and eliminating transnational criminal organizations, like the Outlaws Motorcycle Club, is one of the principal objectives of Operation Take Back America,” Heekin said in a statement. He added that prosecutors “will continue to aggressively” pursue such cases.
Simonds faces a mandatory minimum of seven years and a maximum of 40 years in federal prison. Sentencing is scheduled for June 30 at 9 a.m. at the U.S. District Courthouse in Pensacola before U.S. District Judge M. Casey Rodgers.
The case was investigated jointly by the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alicia H. Forbes is prosecuting the case.
The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a Department of Justice initiative focused on combating transnational criminal organizations and violent crime.
