The mayor of Thomson, Georgia, has found himself entangled in legal troubles, leading to a suspension ordered by the state's governor. Governor Brian Kemp has suspended Benjamin "Benji" Cary Cranford, who faces charges after allegedly providing alcohol to prisoners. The controversy arose from a June incident in which Cranford is accused of having left a bottle of gin for a work crew from Jefferson County Correctional Institution.
An indictment unsealed in August charged the 52-year-old mayor with furnishing prohibited items to inmates and trying to commit a felony. Following a city council meeting in August, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation arrested Cranford, as reported by FOX News. The GBI had been requested to look into the case by the Thomson Police Department after allegations suggested that Cranford had deliberately placed the alcohol in the prisoners' path. He later posted a $5,000 bail, allowing him to be temporarily released.
According to an Independent interview, Cranford has staunchly denied the allegations, stating, "I’ve done nothing wrong. I don’t know no prisoner in Jefferson County. 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?" These charges have led Gov. Kemp to take action to ensure that the public's trust in the office of mayor remains unbreached pending the outcome of these accusations.
As of last Friday, the executive order from Kemp's office has put Cranford's mayoral duties on hold. The decision follows a review commission's findings that the indictment is likely to adversely affect Cranford's ability to administrate his duties effectively. The suspension will stand until either the final resolution of the case or until Cranford's term reaches its end. Meanwhile, Thomson, a town off Interstate 20 near Augusta, is processing the reverberations of a mayor under such an unusual scrutiny.
