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White Supremacist Gang Leader On The Loose After Escaping Arkansas Jail With Fellow 'Dangerous' Inmate
Wesley Gullett and Christopher Sanderson allegedly stuffed padding into their beds at an Arkansas jail, tricking guards into thinking they were asleep when they escaped.
The boss of an allegedly ruthless white supremacist gang is on the loose after escaping an Arkansas jail earlier this week.
Wesley Gullet, leader of New Aryan Empire, along with another inmate, Christopher Sanderson, escaped Jefferson County Jail in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, according to The Associated Press.
Officials said they’re considering them armed and dangerous, and believe they’re still in Arkansas.
"We were made aware this morning of the inmates' escape and are working with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to secure their return into custody," U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas Cody Hiland said in a statement, according to AP.
Authorities learned of the duo’s escape around 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday, July 31. It’s unknown how or when the jailbreak actually occurred.
However, Jefferson County Sheriff Lafayette Woods Jr. told The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that the two inmates were last spotted in the jail around 8:30 p.m, Monday, July 29.
Woods Jr. told the Democrat-Gazette that Gullett and Sanderson staged their beds with extra padding to give off the illusion the bunks were occupied. They then escaped from the roof of the jail, the sheriff added.
"The jailers are required to do the checks, but also, if they don't see movement in the bunks, they are required to physically confirm that the inmate is there," Woods Jr. explained. "In this case, that did not happen. They did the checks, but they did not go in physically to confirm that the inmates were indeed in their bunks."
The county has opened a formal investigation into the matter.
Gullett, 30, reportedly holds the title of president in New Aryan Empire, which began as a prison gang in a county jail about 75 miles southeast of Little Rock in the '90s, according to the local outlet. New Aryan Empire’s radical and racist ideologies quickly spread from county jail to county jail, and eventually took hold in the state prison system.
Today, New Aryan Empire, which often goes by its acronym "NAE," has evolved into an organized crime and narcotics distribution machine known for its violent tendencies. The group’s slogan is “To the dirt,” according to The Anti-Defamation League.
The other escapee, Sanderson, 34, was imprisoned on federal narcotics and firearm charges unrelated to New Aryan Empire. He’s not known to have any connection to Gullett, according to The The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
The Associated Press reported that Gullett's lawyer declined to comment.
