Georgia mayor suspended after arrest for leaving gin in ditch for inmates
Benjamin "Benji" Cary Cranford. Courtesy of McDuffie County Jail.
THOMSON, Ga. - The mayor of a small Georgia town has been suspended by Gov. Brian Kemp after being charged with providing alcohol to a group of prisoners assigned to a work crew.
Thomson Mayor Benjamin "Benji" Cary Cranford, 52, was indicted in August and arrested shortly after by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
According to the FOX News, Cranford drove to a store on June 3 and bought a bottle of Seagram's Extra Dry Gin. He then left it in a ditch along Georgia Highway 150 in Thomson for a work crew of state prisoners from the Jefferson County Correctional Institution.
After the Thomson Police Department learned of the alleged incident, they requested the GBI to conduct an investigation.
The mayor was arrested in August following a city council meeting at Thomson City Hall. He was later released on $5,000 bail.
On Oct. 4, he was officially suspended as mayor by Gov. Kemp.
According to the executive order, Kemp's office received the indictment on Aug. 20. An executive order was issued on Sept. 9, appointing members to a review commission to determine whether the indictment related to or adversely affected the administration of the mayor's duties.
A report received by the governor on Oct. 1 revealed that the indictment is affecting the administration of duties and the rights and interests of the public, and recommended Cranford's suspension.
The suspension will remain in effect until the final disposition of the case or until the mayor's term expires.
Thomson is located off Interstate 20 near Augusta.