The search for the organizer of Nashville Bike Week continues. The organization promises the event will be held as planned, but a new venue hasn’t been specified yet.
The event was supposed to be held at Loretta Lynn’s ranch in Humphreys County, but the ranch posted to its website that the event would not be held on the property, as we reported recently. You can find that announcement HERE.
Although a new venue has not been named yet, News 2 received an email from the organization saying that Nashville Bike Week would announce the new venue until the end of the week.
Meanwhile, Mike Axle, the organizer of the event, is still nowhere to be found. His legal name is Michael Lewis Leffingwell, and he still hasn’t turned himself in on outstanding warrants in Sumner and Maury counties, Georgia, or Missouri.
Many bikers suspect the whole event is a scam at this point, and you can’t really blame them, given Leffingwell’s lengthy criminal history with multiple convictions for fraud and theft, including a federal conviction in Missouri. The fact that many bikers looked forward to the event and paid $200 per person in advance really adds up to the disappointment.
Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said his office continues to be contacted by people concerned about the event and curious if it is a scam.
“We have about 200 people who have contacted us about the event,” he said by phone. “We are also trying to plan logistically for the event if it does happen.”
Previously, the event was going to happen at the Loretta Lynn Ranch from Sept. 14 to 24. The ranch announced earlier this month it cut ties because the organization did not meet financial obligations.
However, Nashville Bike Week provided to News 2 a voicemail from the Tennessee Department of Health that said the event could not be permitted at the ranch because of the number of people expected.
“You put 30,000 people in our county and it’s going to more than double the population,” Sheriff Davis said. “We are one of the few counties that has the river, railroad, and interstate in it, and we always have to be cognitive of what’s going on.”
In an email to News 2, the event said all of its financial obligations are paid and current. It also said refunds are being processed for people who requested a one.
“We have retained a public relations company and will be doing a press release and showing our new venue location within the week,” the email said. “Our event is still September 14 to 24, 2017. Mike Axle is not wanted for anything to do with Nashville Bike Week, nor have any laws been broken by Nashville Bike Week.”
Anyone who has concerns about the event can still contact the Humphreys County Sheriff’s Office at a specially-created web page.
If you have information about Leffingwell’s whereabouts, contact your local authorities.
