A Maine town voted to accept a gift left by a former resident in his will, after he stipulated it would be handed to a Hells Angels chapter if they turned it down.
James Jordan, 80, formerly of Buckfield, and known as Jimmy, passed away last March and left his nearly 14-acre property along with $850,000 in cash to the town.
There was a catch. If the town decided to turn down the generous gift, the land and money would go to a chapter of the outlaw motorcycle club.
On Tuesday, it was agreed in a vote of 274-37 to accept the gift as voters faced other questions over what should be done with the land and cash.
Despite the link to the biker club in his will, there was no apparent connection between Jordan and the gang, friends of his believe the whole thing was a joke.
Close friend Roland Frechette said he believes Jordan added it to ensure the gifts were accepted by the town.
He told The Sun Journal that the whole situation was a bad joke. A friend of Jordan, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Daily Mail that he didn’t own a motorcycle.
James Jordan, seen here, passed away last March and left his nearly 14-acre property along with $850,000 in cash to the town. He died aged 80, a photo from his younger days is seen above
If voters decided to turn down the generous gift, the land and money would go to a chapter of the outlaw motorcycle club
A local man all of his life, he attended Buckfield area schools before going to to work as a travelling salesman, and a manager at International Paper, his obituary said.
He had inherited the property in July 1983 according to land deeds, after it was passed down by his parents.
It is not immediately clear what Hells Angel chapter would have been handed the land and money, the club’s first chapter in Maine is in Canaan, 65 miles from Buckfield.
After agreeing to accepting the money, voters in the town of approximately 2,000 residents were asked whether to turn a two-acre parcel of the land to a training space for the town’s rescue unit, which was agreed upon.
Another question asked whether the remaining space should be turned into a recreational area, which was also passed through.
The $850,000 left over was divided up to form several scholarship funds for students who are residents of Buckfield and are in their third year of college or university.
Buckfield in Maine is seen above. The small town has a population of around 2,000 people
He had inherited the property in July of 1983 according to land deeds, after it was passed down by his parents
Voters also agreed to leave $20,000 aside to fund an annual trip for the elderly from Buckfield to Portland Head Light, a historical landmark in Cape Elizabeth, Maine.
Jordan’s obituary stated: ‘Jimmy had a knack for finding a deal. He enjoyed watching Jeopardy (his friends and family knew not to call between 7.30pm and 8pm).
‘He took time to take trips to the Maine coast, check lawn sales, and eat preferred meals such as lobster and Chinese food. His true passions in life were watching horse racing and visiting with family and friends.’
The Hells Angels, which were originally founded in California in 1948, is said to still have around 3,500 members and 475 charters across 62 countries.
The group is considered a criminal enterprise, with the Department of Justice claiming they are involved in violent crime, weapons trafficking and drug trafficking.
Their website states: ‘When we do right, nobody remembers. When we do wrong, nobody forgets.’
