One of the four inmates who escaped last week from the Bibb County jail was captured Thursday afternoon, according to investigators.
But the other three men remain on the run, 10 days after leaving the jail through a broken window, the Bibb Sheriff’s Office said.
Chavis Demaryo Stokes, 29, was apprehended by the U.S. Marshals Service at a home in Montezuma at 2 p.m., investigators said. The Macon County home is about 50 miles southwest of the Bibb jail.
Stokes was previously charged with possession of a firearm and drug trafficking. Investigators did not immediately announce additional charges related to his escape.
On Oct. 16, Stokes and three other inmates, with the help of someone outside the jail, broke out through a damaged second-floor window and cut a fence, the Bibb sheriff previously said. A blue Dodge Challenger then pulled up and helped the inmates flee at 3 a.m., but it was later that day before authorities knew they were gone.
Only 10 employees were working at the time, when as many as 30 should have been, Sheriff David Davis previously said. Additionally, the escape happened in the oldest part of the 43-year-old jail, away from where inmates are housed.
Last Friday, the Dodge was found in the parking lot of Biomat USA, located at 630 North Avenue in Macon, after investigators received tips from the public, the sheriff’s office said. It was found about two miles from the jail.
In addition to Stokes, the other escaped inmates are: Joey Fournier, 52, who has been charged with murder; Marc Kerry Anderson, 24, who was being held on aggravated assault charges; and Johnifer Dernard Barnwell, 37, who was being detained for the Marshals Service.
Fournier is accused of killing his ex-girlfriend, Cynthia Berry, in February 2022, according to the sheriff’s office. Barnwell was convicted earlier this month on federal drug trafficking charges and faces significant time in prison when sentenced, the FBI said.
MEDIA RELEASE UPDATE: Bibb County Inmate Captured The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office was notified by the U.S. Marshals...
Posted by Bibb County Sheriff's Office on Thursday, October 26, 2023
The reward to find the four inmates reached $73,000 last week, investigators said. The FBI Atlanta office is offering rewards of up to $25,000, combined with rewards from Macon Regional Crime Stoppers, the Bibb sheriff’s office and the Marshals Service.
No details were released on whether anyone was eligible for a reward following the re-arrest of Stokes.
Anyone with information on the possible locations of the remaining three escapees should call the FBI’s tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), the USMS at 1-877-WANTED2, or the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office at 478-751-7500. Tips may also be submitted online at tips.fbi.gov or USMS Tips App.
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