Georgia mayor charged with allegedly hiding alcohol for prisoners in ditch

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THOMSON, Georgia – 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 and arrested by Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents on Wednesday on charges of delivering prohibited items to inmates and attempting to commit a crime.

The indictment, filed Wednesday in McDuffie County Superior Court, says Cranford, 52, drove to a store on June 3, bought a bottle of Seagram's Extra Dry Gin and left it in a ditch on Georgia 150 in Thomson, where it blocked the path of a squad of state prisoners from the Jefferson County Correctional Institution.

Thomson police asked the GBI on June 6 to investigate allegations that Cranford gave inmates alcohol, the GBI said.

Agents arrested Cranford after a city council meeting at Thomson City Hall and led him away in handcuffs. WRDW-TV reportedCranford did not answer questions from reporters after being released from the McDuffie County Jail on $5,000 bail on Wednesday.

No attorney was listed for Cranford in court records as of Thursday, and he has not yet appeared in court.

Other city officials declined to comment.

“Because we understand that the charges in this case have nothing to do with Mr. Cranford's duties as an elected official, we would like to have no comment,” said Jason Smith, the city's community development director who serves as a spokesman.

Cranford could be suspended from office pending the resolution of the allegations if a panel recommends to Gov. Brian Kemp that the allegations impair Cranford's ability to act as mayor. Several other officials have been suspended when they were accused of criminal charges not directly related to their office.

Cranford won election last year, defeating 12-year incumbent Kenneth Usry. Cranford was a road contractor before his election and later settled a lawsuit accusing him of attempting to hide assets from a surety bond company that was required to pay off some of the company's debts.

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The council's plan “sets out our roadmap to transform the lives of people being released from prison and returning to society while making our communities safe,” the governor said.

“Daughters,” filmed over eight years, features inmates who participated in a unique fatherhood program that prepared them for the emotional strain of a father-daughter dance