The leader of a violent white supremacist gang broke out of jail in Arkansas and is on the loose.
Wesley Gullett, 30, who is facing charges of attempted murder and drug distribution, broke out of the Jefferson County Detention Center with another inmate, 34-year-old Christopher Sanderson, who is not a known member of the gang and is facing a firearms charge.
Gullett has been identified as the president of the New Aryan Empire, a group that had 54 members arrested, including him, in February. Authorities have compared the hate group, known as N.A.E., to other notorious gangs like MS-13, the Bloods, and the Crips. The gang, fueled by violence, funneled “copious amounts” of methamphetamine around the Arkansas River Valley.
According to the Pine Bluff Commercial, the duo stuffed their beds with material to appear as though they were sleeping under the covers of their cell to conceal their escape to jailers. The U.S. Marshals Service was informed of the escape 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, although it isn’t clear when the escape occurred.
Jefferson County Sheriff Lafayette Woods Jr. noted that the jail had several vulnerabilities due to lack of staffing and the need for renovation work. Those issues stem from lack of adequate funding. Woods said they likely broke out sometime between midnight Monday and Wednesday morning.
“What should have happened is that they [jailers counting heads] should have placed hands on [the inmates] to make sure they were really there,” he said.
“I always hear that there is no money, but people expect those who are put in jail to stay there,” Woods said. “I have a very important job to make sure that happens.”
A number of other inmates tried to escape Tuesday but were detained when a drone spotted them on the roof of the facility.
Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal Kevin Sanders said Marshals have no reason to believe Gullett and Sanderson left the state and that multiple law enforcement agencies were scouring Arkansas in their hunt for the two.
The exact nature or details of how they escaped is not immediately clear. There is a $10,000 reward for information leading to Gullett’s capture and $5,000 for Sanderson’s arrest.
