Sixth person arrested in Aryans Nations gang-related attempted murder

Cynthia Ann Wright

A sixth person was arrested on Thursday after another indictment was returned in an Aryan Nations gang-related attempted murder and conspiracy case, authorities said.

Cynthia Ann Wright, 40, of Strawberry Plains, was arrested at her home in Jefferson County by sheriff’s investigators with the assistance of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department, Anderson County Sheriff Paul White said in a Tuesday morning press release. Wright is now being held in the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton under a $100,000 bond.

White said investigators obtained indictments from the Anderson County Grand Jury on the six people after a lengthy investigation into the severe beating of a 31-year-old Briceville man that resulted in serious injuries. The incident occurred on Dennis Lane in Claxton in December 2013 and was from internal gang-related enforcement. All six people charged in the case are members of the Aryan Nations gang, White said.

Wright has been charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated assault, two counts of tampering with evidence, being an accessory after the fact, and criminal conspiracy.

The Anderson County District Attorney General’s Office will be seeking enhanced penalties in this case as the offenders are members of a criminal gang, White said.

He said no additional information on this case can be released at this time.

WYSH Radio in Clinton reported that the assault also included gang members using a tattoo gun to cover up gang tattoos, signifying the dismissal of Joshua Ray “Cornbread” Patterson from the Aryan Nations gang. The Dennis Lane home is purported to be the regional headquarters for the white supremacist gang.

Investigators said Patterson was beaten for arguing with a higher-ranking gang member.

The investigation, which includes a treasure trove of information on the gang’s criminal activities supplied by a confidential informant who infiltrated the gang, is continuing, and more people could face charges down the road, WYSH said.