Georgia mayor suspended from office after cops say he gave alcohol to jail inmates

Authorities said Thomson Mayor Benjamin Cary Cranford left liquor in a ditch for inmates

Thomson Mayor Benjamin Cranford was charged with furnishing alcohol to inmates (McDuffie County Jail)

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has suspended Thomson Mayor Benjamin Cary Cranford following accusations the official gave gin to inmates.

In August, Cranford, 52, was indicted on one count of furnishing prohibited items to inmates and one count of criminal attempt to commit a felony.

On June 6, the Thomson Police Department requested that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation conduct an investigation into a complaint that Cranford purchased a 750mL bottle of Seagram’s Extra Dry Gin from a local convenience store on June 4 and placed it in a ditch along a state highway in the path of an inmate work detail operating within Thomson city limits.

The inmates were from Jefferson County Correctional Institute, according to a copy of the indictment obtained by WRDW. The medium-security facility houses adult males convicted of felonies and misdemeanors.

The men provide a “general labor force supporting Jefferson County Government,” according to the Georgia Department of Corrections website.

Cranford was booked into the McDuffie County Jail following his arrest. He secured his $5,000 bond and was later released.

Speaking to the outlet, Cranford said he denied the charges against him. “I’ve done nothing wrong,” he told WRDW. “I don’t know no prisoner in Jefferson County. Didn’t know of no detail that day. That was months and months ago. I don’t even remember that day. Who remembers what they doing every day?” he told the outlet.

The Independent emailed Cranford for comment.

Kemp signed off on the man’s suspension on Friday.