First Georgia Jailbreak Fugitive Captured, Manhunt for Remaining Three Continues

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Chavis Demaryo Stokes, a 29-year-old inmate, was captured in Montezuma, Georgia, marking the first recapture of the four inmates who escaped from a central Georgia jail a week ago. A police chase continues to track down the remaining fugitives. Stokes, discovered 50 miles away from the Bibb County prison where he was being held, is facing charges of illicit firearm possession and drug trafficking.

On October 16, Stokes and his three counterparts fled the Bibb County Detention Center in Macon. Their escape route led them through a compromised day room window and a cut perimeter fence. The remaining escapees comprise Joey Fournier, charged with murder, Marc Kerry Anderson, charged with aggravated assault, and Johnifer Dernard Barnwell, federally convicted for the “armed distribution of substantial amounts of drugs”.


Sheriff David Davis, in a statement last week, said it was unlikely that the men were acquainted before their confinement. He indicated that three of the four had a history of detentions at the center.

Their breakout was orchestrated in the most antiquated part of the 43-year-old facility, during a period of minimal staffing with less than ten personnel on the premises. In response to this lapse in security, the department has initiated modifications to the staffing roster at the prison center, Sheriff Davis indicated.

Moving forward, an internal investigation is ongoing, aimed at discerning how the men managed to vacate their cells and access the day room, an indoor communal space, and suspects below-par security measures.

Speculation is rife that a blue Dodge Challenger spotted in the jail’s parking lot on the day of the prison break may have been instrumental in their escape. However, it is yet to be proven whether the escapees boarded the vehicle.

Sheriff Davis mentioned footage that hinted at a possible interference with the fence and introduction of items into the enclosed vicinity of the fencing. The items, presumably tools, are thought to have facilitated the breakout.

Law enforcement units, including local police, the FBI, and the US Marshals Service, are seeking assistance for information from the public. Reward offerings summing up to $73,000, inclusive of a $10,000 bonus from the FBI for Barnwell’s apprehension, have been issued to incentivize drawing leads to the inmates’ recapture.