The mayor of Thomson, Georgia, Benjamin "Benji" Cranford, has been acquitted of charges that he intentionally left a bottle of gin for a state prison work crew to find. McDuffie County jurors ruled in favor of Cranford on Tuesday, clearing him of furnishing prohibited items to inmates and a charge of attempting to commit a felony, as reported by FOX 5 Atlanta. This verdict allows him to resume his mayoral duties and makes him eligible for back pay following his suspension by Gov. Brian Kemp.
The case centered on the fact that Cranford bought a bottle of Seagram's Extra Dry Gin and allegedly discarded it across the road from the store. His defense argued that the bottle may have accidentally fallen out of his vehicle. Cranford himself claimed to have no memory of the incident but speculated that it could have fallen out while he was trying to reset his Bluetooth by opening and closing the car door, according to statements reported by U.S. News & World Report.
Cranford's reasons for buying the liquor were unusual. He claimed he was following advice that gin could help prevent malaria due to the quinine in tonic water, which is often mixed with gin. He also testified that he had no ties to the nearby Jefferson County Correctional Institution's work crew and no motive to provide them with alcohol.
Prosecutors presented a different view of Cranford's intent. "We don’t know if there was a specific target for the alcohol — if it was for one person or all of the inmates," argued Assistant District Attorney Terry Lloyd, as reported by U.S. News & World Report. Their case was supported by testimony from Alvin James, the driver of the inmate work crew bus, who had previously witnessed individuals throwing contraband to inmates and was alert to such activities. James found the gin bottle, took photographs, and captured Cranford's license plate, which ultimately led to the high-profile arrest of the mayor by Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents.
