Sheriff’s deputies now say ball-bat fight involved ‘white-power’ teens and Hispanic victims

A riot-like fight last weekend in White City likely resulted from racial tension between groups of teens, a Jackson County sheriff’s detective investigating the incident said Friday.

"We have reason to believe it was racially motivated, or at least that was part of it," Detective Colin Fagan said.

The victims in last Saturday’s attack by about 15 bat-wielding young people were Hispanic, he said. Several of the suspected attackers arrested so far are related, and the family members sport shaved heads and "white power" and swastika tattoos, he said.

Still, Fagan characterized the clash as "not a large-scale incident, just a few thugs and bullies," adding that most people in White City live peacefully with neighbors of diverse backgrounds.

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Investigators think two groups of teens clashed and threatened one another as their paths crossed last week. A group of attackers went to a trailer park on Antelope Road at about 9 p.m. Oct. 25, but someone called police and deputies dispersed the crowd.

About an hour later, the group returned with reinforcements, pummeling five people and breaking glass in a car and home with baseball bats, police said.

Deputies and Eagle Point police worked day and night to track down the attackers, focusing on rounding up the organizers, said Fagan, who worked some 16 hour days to make the case.

He said the victims initially were hesitant to talk because they feared reprisals by their attackers and they felt underserved by police. Language barriers also presented problems, he said.

Suspects arrested so far include a 16-year-old boy authorities haven’t named publicly; Daniel Lee Hutchinson, 21, who was arraigned this week on two second-degree assault charges and a charge of reckless endangering; his brother Nathan Lee Glover, 23, who is listed in court files as facing two counts of first-degree burglary and charges of coercion and tampering with a witness; and Jeanette Lorraine Ayers, 32, who was arraigned Friday on two counts of first-degree burglary and charges of coercion and tampering with a witness. Rebecca Jean Cox, 23, was arrested Wednesday on a charge of hindering prosecution, but doesn’t appear in court filings so far. Investigators expect to make more arrests.

Reach reporter Anita Burke at 776-4459, or e-mail aburke@mailtribune.com