Church members serving time or awaiting trial

Miami Herald/August 3, 1999

The World Church of the Creator was started in 1973 by the late Florida legislator Ben Klassen. The group was inactive in South Florida until a few years ago, when the group began distributing racist fliers and literature at rallies, bars and rock concerts.

Several of its local members are serving sentences or awaiting trial on hate crimes:

• Jules Fettu, 26, of West Palm Beach: Former local leader and current reverend in the church, convicted Wednesday for a battery/hate crime against a Hispanic man at 1997 Sunrise concert. He faces up to five years in prison.
• Ray Leone, 19, of Sunrise: Sentenced Friday to seven years and eight months in prison for aggravated battery/hate crime against the same Hispanic man and the man's teenage son. Leone is now serving eight years in federal prison for the 1998 hate-crime beating and robbing of a Jewish adult video store owner in Hollywood.
• Donald Hansard, 24, of Davie: Serving 4 1/2 years in federal prison for his role in the video store robbery. On Friday, Hansard could be sentenced to up to 30 years in jail for his role in the 1997 beating of the Hispanic father and son.
• Jody Lee Mathis, 28, of Davie: Former leader is in jail awaiting trial on charges of selling a stolen shotgun to a fellow member of the group. If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison and fined up to $250,000. Mathis was also present during the Sunrise beating.
• Jimmy Barnhill, 25, of Sunrise: Serving several years in jail for committing a burglary while out on parole. A seven-time felon, Barnhill was not charged but admitted to participating in the Sunrise beating.
• Angela King, 24, of Hollywood: Serving five years and eight months for her role in the video store robbery.
• Dawn Witherspoon, 22, of Weston: Serving 13 months in federal prison for her role in the video store robbery. She gave police the names of those involved in both the Sunrise beating and the Hollywood robbery.
• Guy Lombardi, 36, of Fort Lauderdale: Former leader and security director was sentenced Friday to one year of house arrest for threatening Witherspoon after she went to police.