| Sheriff's Office Press Releases |
Date - May 7, 2007
After three years of planning and seeking funding for the project, Sheriff Kerry M. Dunaway announced today that his office will begin an inmate work program in Crawford County . The program has been approved by the superior court as an alternative sentencing program. Sheriff Dunaway began this project more than three ago as a means of reducing the recidivism rate among local offenders and to provide a means to utilize inmate labor for county, city, and board of education projects.
Inmates sentenced to the program from superior court will undergo a screening process to determine their education level, drug and alcohol abuse issues, and skill level. Based on this process, inmates will be assigned to work for the various local governments at tasks varying from skilled laborers such as mechanics and carpenters, to less skilled workers who will assist in grounds maintenance and cleaning jobs. Up to eight (8) inmates will be sentenced to the program at any given time and will work under the direct supervision of county, city, and board of education employees.
While in the program, inmates will not only work 40 hours per week but will attend substance abuse counseling and GED classes. By working these inmates on government projects, the sheriff’s office will reduce housing costs for the jail and supplement the local government’s labor forces. In return, the inmates have an opportunity to overcome any substance abuse problems and receive an education while in the program. Successfully participating in the program will result in the inmate’s sentence being reduced.
Cost for starting the program have been prohibitive until now. Funding for the project came about unexpectedly when Sheriff Dunaway learned that surplus housing units were being made available by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He acquired one of these new units for $2,500 which came fully furnished and included central heating and air conditioning. The unit was delivered from Selma, Alabama around the first of April and is expected to open by May15th to receive inmates. The cost of implementing this project is funded from various sources other than the county’s general fund or sheriff’s office budget. The local Jail Management Fund, local SPLOST, and the Inmate Concession account will provide funds to pay for the housing unit and the supplies necessary to operate the program.
The district attorney’s office has already reviewed numerous cases during this term of court to recommend defendants be sentenced to the program and beginning next week the sheriff expects to begin placing inmates in the program. So, if you see workers in green work clothing with “County Inmate” stamped across the back of their work shirt working in the community, you’ll know that individual is an inmate in the work program.
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Date – May 30, 2007 10:30 A.M.
On Friday May 25, 2007 at approximately 4:00 P.M. investigators and deputies with the Crawford County Sheriff's Office served a search warrant at 1701 Horne Road in Crawford County. The search resulted in the recovery of a large amount of stolen tools and equipment, including power tools, hand tools, a welder, and an air conditioner unit, valued at approximately $35,000.00. A large methamphetamine lab and a small quantity of methamphetamine were also seized.
This investigation has resulted in the arrest of Charlie Davis Harris, 30, of 1701 Horne Road, Roberta, Georgia who has been charged with Burglary, Manufacturing Methamphetamine, and theft By Receiving Stolen Property. He is currently held in the Crawford County Jail pending a bond hearing before a Superior Court Judge. Due to the nature of his charges a local magistrate cannot set bond for Harris. Also arrested in this investigation was Chasity Ellen Cavender, 24, of the same Horne Road address. She was been charged with Possession of Methamphetamine and has been released on a $5,000 bond set by a magistrate judge.
The stolen property that has been recovered had been taken over a period of time from construction sites, homes, and businesses in both Crawford and Bibb Counties. The methamphetamine lab is the fourth seized by investigators during the month of May. The investigation into this case is continuing and additional arrests are expected.
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Date – June 4, 2007
On Friday June 1, 2007 at approximately 3:25 P.M. Captain Lewis Walker with the Crawford County Sheriff’s observed suspicious activity at an abandoned house on Calloway Drive off of U.S.Hwy 341 North, just outside the city of Roberta. Further investigation by Captain Walker, lead to the arrest of two males and the seizure of 31 bags of marijuana which was packaged for distribution.
Antwan Jovan Tennyson, 24, of 11611 Radio Drive in Macon, Ga. and Dendrick Ventez Colbert, 28, of 65 Turner Estates in Reynolds, Ga. were arrested and charged with burglary and possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute. Both suspects have been carried before a local magistrate who set Tennyson’s bond at $5,000.00 and denied bond to Colbert. Both men are still in custody, Colbert with a hold on him for probation violation, and Tennyson is wanted by Bibb County authorities.
In early May 2007, Tennyson plead guilty to misdemeanor marijuana charges in Crawford County Superior Court, was given a fine and sentenced to probation.
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