The blue Dodge Challenger used to help four inmates escape from a Georgia jail was found Friday in Macon, according to the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office. But the inmates remained on the run.
The vehicle 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. The Dodge was located about two miles from the Bibb County jail.
“... Every lead that we have received is being followed up on,” Bibb Sheriff David Davis said.
Investigators believe the four men, with the help of someone outside the jail, broke out through a damaged second-floor window and cut a fence early Monday. The Dodge then pulled up and helped the inmates flee at 3 a.m., but it was later Monday 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 said during a Monday afternoon news conference. Additionally, the escape happened in the oldest part of the 43-year-old jail, away from where inmates are housed.
The FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service joined state investigators in the search to find the four, including a murder suspect.
MEDIA RELEASE: Vehicle Used In Inmate Escape Recovered The Bibb County Sheriff's Office Criminal Intelligence Unit and...
Posted by Bibb County Sheriff's Office on Friday, October 20, 2023
The inmates are: Joey Fournier, 52, who has been charged with murder; Marc Kerry Anderson, 24, who was being held on aggravated assault charges; Johnifer Dernard Barnwell, 37, who was being detained for the Marshals Service; and Chavis Demaryo Stokes, 29, who was charged with possession of a firearm and drug trafficking. Three have been in the jail several times, the sheriff said.
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.
On Wednesday, the reward to find the four inmates reached $73,000, investigators said. The FBI Atlanta office is offering rewards of up to $25,000, combined with rewards from the Macon Regional Crime Stoppers, Bibb sheriff’s office, and Marshals Service.
Anyone with information on the possible locations of these 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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