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Georgia law enforcement are on the second day of a search of four men they said escaped from a detention center.
Bibb County Sheriff David Davis said Monday the inmates escaped from the Bibb County Detention Center in Macon, Georgia, about 84 miles southeast of Atlanta, around 3:30 a.m. on Monday.
He identified the four inmates as Joey Fournier, Marc Kerry Anderson, Johnifer Dernard Barnwell, and Chavis Demaryo Stokes.
Authorities have not released further updates as the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office works with the Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force, the FBI and U.S. Marshals to locate the inmates.
The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office said in an email to USA TODAY Tuesday there’s no need for residents to shelter in place and the suspects’ route is under investigation.
How did the inmates escape the jail?
Jail staff reviewed video footage where they said the four men escaped from a broken second-floor window and ran through a break in the fence. Staff found a break in the perimeter fence at around 6 a.m., Davis said.
Video footage also showed a blue Dodge Challenger that was outside the jail earlier in the night and appeared to show an individual tampering with the fence, Davis said. The person then brought “some items into the enclosed area of the fence,” the sheriff said, adding that authorities believe the items were used to help the inmates escape.
It was not clear whether the four men left the jail in the vehicle seen on the video footage, had gotten into another vehicle, or left on foot, according to Davis. He added that authorities believe the blue Dodge Challenger is involved in the escape and police are on the lookout for the vehicle.
A $2,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of the four men.
Escapees accused of homicide, gang membership
Fournier, 52, was arrested and charged with the murder of his ex-girlfriend. An indictment accused him of strangling Cynthia Lynn Berry with a shoelace on Feb. 20, 2022. He faces felonious malice murder, aggravated assault and murder.
He’s since pleaded not guilty in the case.
Anderson, 25, has been held since 2020 for aggravated assault for allegedly firing a gun into a person’s car and two people’s homes, according to Bibb County Superior Court records.
Barnwell, 37, is serving a 15-year concurrent sentence since 2013 for felony violation of Georgia’s Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act and for felonious aggravated assault. He was also detained with 16 other people in a 12-count grand jury indictment for drug charges, according to court records.
Stokes, 29, is being held on charges of possession of a firearm and drug trafficking, along with other misdemeanor charges. He has been accused of supplying illicit items to inmates in February 2020; misdemeanor theft and obstruction charges in July 2021; and this past year, he was accused of obstruction, misdemeanor battery and giving or having prohibited items by inmates, according to court records.
What do the escapees look like?
Davis said investigators don’t have any reason to believe the men had any associations with each other outside the jail.
“They could be anywhere,” the sheriff said. “But how long they stay together or even if they’re together at this point: We don’t know.”
The men are described to be:
- Fournier is a white male with gray hair and blue eyes and is 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighs 140 pounds.
- Anderson is a Black male with dreadlocks who is 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighs 165 pounds.
- Barnwell is a Black male with braids. He is 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighs 190 pounds.
- Stokes is a Black male with short black hair and is 5 feet, 7 inches tall. He weighs 160 pounds.
Sheriff says county needs a new jail
Davis said Monday the dayrooms are sometimes not locked at night when inmates are supposed to be in bed in another part of the jail.
At the time of the escape, Davis said there were less than 10 people working at the jail which currently has “a little over 800” detainees. According to the sheriff, about 30 people should be working a shift at the jail but they haven’t had staffing levels in that range for a “long time.”
Davis added that short staffing isn’t the only issue at the facility. The escape also occurred in the oldest and most rundown part of the jail, Davis said.
“We need a new jail,” the sheriff said, describing the jail as a 43-year-old facility that is “falling down on us.”
An internal investigation will determine what led to the escape but several factors are involved, including staffing issues, Davis said.
