Deadly disturbance at private prison involved white gangs, officials say
The deadly disturbance at the Cimarron Correctional Facility is being blamed on a power struggle between two white prison gangs — the Irish Mob and the United Aryan Brotherhood.
by Nolan Clay Published: September 16, 2015

CUSHING — The deadly disturbance at the Cimarron Correctional Facility is being blamed on a power struggle between two white prison gangs — the Irish Mob and the United Aryan Brotherhood.

Four white inmates at the 1,720-bed private facility died as a result of the two-minute altercation Saturday afternoon, officials said. Two were stabbed to death, the medical examiner's office reported. The other two died from “multiple sharp force injuries.”

Four other inmates from the facility were treated at a hospital for injuries.

The violence Saturday afternoon involved an attack by the Irish Mob on the other white gang, multiple sources told The Oklahoman.

Inmates at all state prisons on Wednesday remained on lock down, which means they were confined to their cells around the clock. Inmates at the Oklahoma County jail also were on lockdown status Wednesday.

Oklahoma County Sheriff John Whetsel said his detention officers made sure inmates associated with the two gangs are kept apart. He said officers took those precautions after learning from state Corrections Department officials those two gangs were involved in the disturbance in Cushing.

“Which is apparently — by what I'm told — rare, as far as attacking each other,” the sheriff said.

A spokesman for the sheriff said about 20 members of each gang are currently in the Oklahoma County jail.

“The two groups were already separated before the incident. Now we are just making extra sure all of the members of the two groups are separated,” the sheriff's spokesman, Mark Opgrande, said.

The Cimarron Correctional Facility is operated by the Corrections Corporation of America. Officials for that company and officials for the Corrections Department have not disclosed why the disturbance happened.

“That entire thing is under investigation,” said Terri Watkins, the communications director for the Oklahoma Corrections Department.

Watkins did confirm another white inmate, burglar Charles Overton, was stabbed Saturday afternoon at the Oklahoma State Reformatory in Granite. “One person stabbed another. It wasn't a large thing,” she said. “The stabbed person is in stable condition in the hospital, expected to be released by this weekend.”

The Corrections Corporation of America opened the Cushing facility in May 1997.

“Responsibility lies with the inmates who instigated and participated in this disturbance,” the company's public affairs director, Jonathan Burns, said Wednesday. “CCA professionals responded bravely and maintained public safety, which was never threatened.”

He also said, “No corrections system — public or private — is immune to disturbances. CCA has a strong record of safety and security over its more than 30-year history that is comparable to public systems. The company provides extensive training programs for employees, and our facilities incorporate state-of-the-art security features and safety measures.”

A fight at a private prison in Holdenville in 2013 also involved the United Aryan Brotherhood and the Irish Mob, records show.

The Oklahoma version of the Irish Mob is little known outside law enforcement circles. “The Irish Mob was formed in the early 1990s in Tulsa,” a federal grand jury in Texas said in a drug conspiracy indictment last year. “Members often refer to themselves as ‘Jrihar' or ‘brother.' Irish Mob members often engage in drug dealing.”

One Irish Mob gang member ran a drug ring from inside the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, a federal Drug Enforcement Administration special agent reported in February. That gang member pleaded guilty in June in federal court in Muskogee to a drug conspiracy. He admitted he used cellphones to facilitate the distribution of methamphetamine.

More prison time for Big Red to move up in his Aryan Brotherhood career:

Universal Aryan Brotherhood member gets nearly 22 years in prison http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/bl...years-in-prison by Gangsters Inc.

seems this feud has extended onto the street.

http://www.newson6.com/story/31382134/police-believe-fatal-tulsa-shooting-to-be-gang-related

Perfect example of white gang violence.

lol Extremely small scale compared to black on black crime.

LoL, You can't accept white on white crime

JW is the Irish Mob actually ethnically Irish or do they just call themselves that for the sake of it?

While you're technically right, it's pretty hard to compare black gang violence to white gang violence. They're not even on the same level.

@Nickyeyes

Longtime no talk.

Comparable but not the same level? Last time I recall white gangs have been equally violent. Fights, Shootings, & Pipe Bombs and I'm speaking in the recent past & current.

It has been a while. Hope all is well.

I'm not saying that their isn't white gangs or violence with white gangs. But the overall amount of black gangs is much much higher than whites.

It's true and yet those black gangs have white members too.

That's a good question . I'm interested in that myself since I don't think Oklahoma has many Irish Americans .

its probably most likely that a number of the original members may have been of irish descent. Im guessing its not required though and that the gang is mostly made up of crystal meth addicts who joined in prison.

Universal Aryan Brotherhood prison gang directed meth trafficking network through contraband cell phones https://gangstersinc.org/blog/universal-aryan-brotherhood-prison-gang-directed-meth-trafficking

The A&E show 'The First 48' did an episode involving this homicide and Mr Vanderpool. Unfortunately I don't recall the episode name or date.

Self-professed shot caller in Irish Mob gang gets 12,5 years for retaliation plots against witness and agent https://gangstersinc.org/blog/self-professed-shot-caller-in-irish-mob-gang-gets-12-5-years-for