Man accused of 'white supremacy' graffiti
Apr. 9—Conasauga Judicial Circuit Judge Scott Minter denied a request to set bond for a 27-year-old man charged with alleged gang-related offenses in Whitfield Superior Court on Friday, April 5.
According to Whitfield County Jail records, defendant Matthew Alexander Maher was arrested on March 20 and charged with three offenses — one count of criminal trespass and two counts of criminal gang activity participation.
Conasauga Judicial Circuit Assistant District Attorney Walt Eddy said that a detective told him that the defendant is affiliated with the Aryan Brotherhood.
"He spray-painted Aryan Brotherhood symbols on a local business building and he confessed to (the detective) under Miranda," he told the court. "The symbols denote 'white supremacy' that has no place in our community — the state would argue he is a risk to the community and ask that the court deny bond."
The Southern Poverty Law Center describes the Aryan Brotherhood as "the largest and deadliest prison gang in the United States, with an estimated 20,000 members inside prisons and on the streets."
The presence of the Aryan Brotherhood in Whitfield County is well documented.
In 2021, 19 codefendants alleged to have connections to the gang were indicted on a combined 82 felony offenses in Whitfield County, on charges running the gamut from possession of heroin with intent to distribute to Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act violations.
Public defender Latasha Heflin, however, told the court that she was not aware of any evidence indicating that Maher confessed to actually being part of a gang to law enforcement officials.
"There is nothing in his record to demonstrate that he is part of a gang," she said. "I do not feel like Mr. Maher is a risk to reoffend, he has been out of trouble since 2022 and has been working hard to restore his life."
She requested that bond for the defendant be set at $25,000.
"He is a Dalton resident who takes care of his 5-year-old son," she told the court. "Mr. Maher does have a criminal history, your Honor — he has two convictions for possession of meth from 2022 and 2020."
She said the defendant is not currently on probation.
Eddy said that the defendant also has a failure to appear from 2015.
"We're not here to try the case today, from either side, all I'm here to try to do is determine whether or not Mr. Maher needs a bond or not," Judge Minter stated. "And the court finds, based on his prior record, that he poses a significant risk of committing further felonies should he be released."
