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3 arrests decimate feeble street gang
By CARRIE JOHNSON, Times Staff Writer INVERNESS -- From the beginning, the Lost Boys were known as a band of outcasts, the rejects from a larger, more established street gang now defunct in Citrus County. Its members committed few crimes and struggled to raise enough money to stay intact. The group controlled a few "safe houses," havens for underage drug and alcohol use, but their influence never spread beyond the county line. But over the past week, this previously little-known gang grabbed headlines when three of its members were arrested in connection with the harboring of a 17-year-old runaway girl. The Citrus County Sheriff's Office said those arrests essentially destroyed what remained of the Lost Boys. "It is on the decline, it is on the run, it is almost defunct," said Sgt. David Wyllie. "This was basically a mop-up operation." Arrested were Chester Gatlin, 28; Bradley Allen Ayres, 21; and Roger William Neal, 20. The girl told authorities she was held at Gatlin's house, 3229 E Buckskin Lane, Hernando, from Sept. 14 through Sept. 19. While there, she said, Gatlin injected her with ecstasy and Ayres kicked her, forced her to perform sexual acts and threatened to make her prostitute herself to repay a debt to another gang member. The girl also told Detective Eric Barnhart that Neal had tattooed "THUG BABY" and an upside-down crown on her back by using an electric toothbrush rigged with a needle. The logo is gang language that means the wearer is affiliated with the Lost Boys. Gatlin was arrested on a charge of child abuse and interfering with custody. Ayres is accused of forcing another to become a prostitute, false imprisonment, interfering with custody, and battery. Neal was jailed on a charge of illegal tattooing. Under Florida law, it is illegal to tattoo the body of another person without a license. Wyllie said the Lost Boys is an offshoot of the Folk Nation gang, which claimed about 100 members in Citrus County at its height in 1998. While street gangs never posed much of a threat in rural Citrus -- at least in comparison with their sister organizations in larger, urban areas -- Folk Nation rose to prominence after its members were accused of plotting the death of reputed rival gang member William Reeves at a bowling alley in Sept. 1998. But the murder plans went awry when Michael Rosado, 17, shot and killed the target's brother, Michael Reeves, 15, and wounded Josh Hopkins, then 15, as they smoked cigarettes outside a Crystal River home. Rosado was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison plus 161/2 more years on a conspiracy charge. Three other teenagers accepted much lighter sentences on conspiracy charges. Robert Becker, the alleged leader of the Folk Nation gang whom prosecutors accused of masterminding the shooting, was acquitted by a jury. The Sheriff's Office cracked down on gang activity after the shooting, and Folk Nation quickly disappeared. Wyllie said authorities were aware of the Lost Boys but never had a way to break them up until the 17-year-old runaway told her story. Barnhart, who is assigned to monitor gang activity, said runaways are typically drawn to gangs, who provide them not only with shelter but a ready supply of drugs and alcohol. Wyllie estimated the number of Lost Boys members at about 10 after the arrests. But while this gang has been broken up, it doesn't necessarily mean the end of street gangs in Citrus County. "We don't expect them to ever go away completely," Wyllie said. "But we expect that we'll be able to keep a handle on them." -- Carrie Johnson can be reached at 860-7309 or cjohnson@sptimes.com.
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