THOMSON, Ga. — The mayor of a small Georgia town was found not guilty of leaving alcohol in a ditch for inmates to find while on work detail.
Thomson Mayor Benjamin “Benji” Cranford was standing trial for furnishing prohibited items to inmates and attempting to commit a felony.
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After being charged, Governor Brian Kemp suspended Cranford from office pending the outcome of the trial.
Neither prosecutors nor defense attorneys argued the fact that Cranford bought a bottle of Seagram’s Extra Dry Gin that ended up in the ditch.
But defense attorneys say it fell out of the car when he was resetting his Bluetooth connection.
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During the trial, he testified that he didn’t remember what happened and that he bought the gin because his friend told him that it would help prevent him from getting malaria.
Cranford said he knew no one on the work crew from the Jefferson County Correctional Institution and had no reason to buy alcohol for people he didn’t know.
Garrison Douglas, a spokesperson for the governor’s office, told WJBF-TV that there are no extra steps necessary for putting someone back in office after they are acquitted.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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