Georgia mayor arrested for crime after allegedly storing alcohol for inmates in a ditch

The mayor of a small town in the US state of Georgia is facing charges for illegally hiding a bottle of gin in a ditch so that a state prison work crew could access it.

Thomson Mayor Benjamin “Benji” Cary Cranford, 52, was charged and arrested by Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents on Wednesday on charges of delivering prohibited items to inmates and attempting to commit a crime, WRDW-TV reported.

The indictment, filed in McDuffie County Superior Court, accuses Cranford of driving to a store on June 3, purchasing a bottle of Seagram's Extra Dry Gin and then leaving it in a ditch on Cobbham Road in Thomson, Georgia, where it blocked a work party of state prisoners from the Jefferson County Correctional Institution.

Thomson police asked the GBI on June 6 to investigate allegations that Cranford gave inmates alcohol.

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Cranford was taken into custody by GBI agents at Thomson City Hall after a city council meeting and booked into the McDuffie County Jail, WRDW-TV reported. He was released Wednesday on $5,000 bail.

“Because we understand that the charges in this case have nothing to do with Mr. Cranford's duties as an elected official, we have no comment,” city spokesman Jason Smith said in a statement.

Cranford could be suspended from office pending the resolution of the allegations if a panel recommends to Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp that the allegations could affect Cranford's ability to serve as mayor. Several other officials have been suspended before when they were accused of offenses not directly related to their office.

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Cranford was taken into custody by GBI agents following a city council meeting at Thomson City Hall. (istock)

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The mayor took office earlier this year after defeating incumbent Kenneth Usry in last year's election.

Earlier this month, Cranford, a former highway contractor, agreed to a settlement in a case he filed months before running for office, alleging that he attempted to conceal assets from a surety bond company that stepped in to pay off some of the debts amid financial difficulties at Cranford's company and ensure the completion of major projects undertaken by Cranford's company.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.