Ten defendants in a massive bar fight between bike clubs last summer in Washington County appeared in court on Friday for their preliminary hearings. 

Law enforcement said members of the War Dogs and Pagans fought at Forty Bar and Grille with clubs, knives and gunshots fired into the air in the parking lot. 

Testimony on Friday began with bartender Julia Quartur, who was working at the North Franklin Township bar the night of the attack. Quartur told the court how dozens of members of the War Dogs motorcycle club walked into the bar shortly after midnight on Aug. 17, 2025. She testified that not long after they arrived, War Dogs member Kenneth Hayman allegedly began attacking Jordan Henderson, a member of the Pagans motorcycle club who was already at the bar. Some 10 other War Dog members allegedly joined in the beating.

Quartue says Henderson's face was swollen, bloody and unrecognizable after the fight. Investigators say Corey Palmer, also a member of the Pagans, arrived to help with a bat and an ax handle and was attacked by War Dog members. He then allegedly went back to the vehicle he was in, grabbed a gun and fired a shot in the air before he fled the scene.

Investigators said the victims were men in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

One of the 10 defendants charged was Benjamin Bowman. His attorney stated that this was no more than a nasty bar fight.

"This case was frustrating relative to my client because it was overblown. They tried to make this out to be a little more juicy than what it was. My client was present at a bar where a fight occurred. They tried to attribute that fight to an outlaw motorcycle gang. That's not what this was," defense attorney Steven Valsamidis said.

In October 2025, Hayman, who allegedly began the assault on Henderson at Forty Bar and Grille, was shot to death in White Oak. Three alleged members of the Pagans were arrested and charged with Henderson's alleged homicide.

Investigators aren't saying if there's a connection between Henderson's death and brawls at the bar. 

Except for some counts of violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, all counts against all 10 suspects were held over for trial. A trial date was not immediately known.