Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
New York Post
Georgia mayor faces felony charges after he allegedly stashed alcohol in ditch for prisoners
By Associated Press,
2 hours ago
THOMSON, Ga. — The mayor of a small Georgia town has been indicted on charges that he illegally left a bottle of gin in a ditch for a state prison work crew.
Thomson Mayor Benjamin “Benji” Cary Cranford was indicted on Wednesday and arrested by Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents.
He faces felony charges of furnishing prohibited items to inmates and attempt to commit a felony.
Thomson Mayor Benjamin “Benji” Cary Cranford was arrested for allegedly leaving a bottle of gin in a ditch for a prison work crew. McDuffie County Jail Cranford faces felony charges of furnishing prohibited items to inmates and attempt to commit a felony. CSRA Photography/benjiformayor.com
The indictment issued Wednesday in McDuffie County Superior Court says that the 52-year-old Cranford drove to a store on June 3, bought a bottle of Seagram’s Extra Dry Gin and left it in a ditch along Georgia 150 in Thomson in the path of a work crew of state prisoners from the Jefferson County Correctional Institution.
Thomson police on June 6 asked the GBI to investigate the claim that Cranford gave alcohol to inmates, GBI said.
Agents arrested Cranford at Thomson City Hall after a city council meeting and led him away in handcuffs, WRDW-TV reported .
Cranford didn’t answer questions from reporters after he was released from the McDuffie County Jail Wednesday on $5,000 bail.
“As we understand the charges in this case are not related to Mr. Cranford’s duties as an elected official, we do not have a comment,” said Jason Smith, the local community development director who serves as a city spokesperson.
Cranford could face suspension from office until the charges are resolved if a panel recommends to Gov. Brian Kemp that the charges harm Cranford’s ability to act as mayor.
Cranford was arrested in Thomson City Hall after a city council meeting. Benji ForMayor/Facebook
Some other officials have been suspended when they faced felony charges that were not directly related to their office.
Cranford won election last year, beating 12-year-incumbent Kenneth Usry.
A paving contractor before he was elected, Cranford later settled a lawsuit that alleged he had tried to hide assets from a bonding company that was on the hook to pay some of the company’s debts.
For top headlines, breaking news and more, visit nypost.com.
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Comments / 0