Georgia mayor faces felony charges after investigators say he stashed alcohol in ditch for prisoners

THOMSON, Ga. (AP) — 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.

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.

Court records didn’t list a lawyer for Cranford as of Thursday, and he has not yet appeared before a judge.

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Other city officials declined comment.

“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. 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.