MACON, Ga. — Four men escaped from the Bibb County Jail early Monday morning through a window in the jail and a hole cut in a fence, according to the Bibb County Sheriff's Office.
The four men include an accused murderer, one held for the U.S. Marshals, one accused of aggravated assault and another held for firearm possession and drug trafficking.
Who are these four men?
52-year-old Joey Fournier:
In February 2022, he was arrested and charged with Murder of 49-year-old Cynthia Berry, his ex-girlfriend.
Fournier got a ride from a friend. Fournier allegedly told the friend that he strangled Berry in her home in Macon's Barrington Hall subdivision.
Bibb County records show a 911 call at 1:33 a.m. about "unknown trouble" at the intersection of Fosters Green and Winchester Place.
In previous reporting, Major Brad Wolfe, who's over the patrol division, says dispatch didn't immediately relay the call to his deputies.
"They didn't dispatch somebody for 14 minutes," Wolfe said, looking at the dispatch records on the case.
The sheriff's office says they responded at least 27 minutes after the first call of a possible homicide. Bibb County's system typically categorizes those calls as high priority.
When deputies managed to enter the home, they found Berry strangled to death in her home. Fournier was arrested two days later in Rome, Georgia.
Shortly after his arrest, Fournier was supposed to make his first appearance in court but did not show up as he was placed in the jail's infirmary on suicide watch.
They also arrested Fournier's brother, Jeffrey, who deputies say drove him to Rome. Jeffrey Fournier was later released, and his charges were dropped.
He escaped the jail on Monday just after 3 a.m. So far, he and the three men he escaped with have not been found.
His next court date was set for Nov. 1 as part of a calendar call to get basic updates like if Fournier is ready for trial or not.
25-year-old Marc K. Anderson:
Anderson was arrested in January 2021 for aggravated assault. The Bibb County Jail inmate search says Anderson has been released from jail, but they say he escaped their custody. He was scheduled to go to court in December for a calendar call similar to the one Fournier was scheduled to have. 13WMAZ has reached out to the Bibb County Sheriff's Office for additional details on what Anderson is accused of.
29-year-old Chavis Stokes
Stokes was arrested in February 2020 during an east Macon drug bust. The Bibb Special Investigation Unit, SWAT team and U.S. Marshals executed a search warrant at 619 Main St. and 360 Jones Ave.
In the raid, investigators seized cocaine, marijuana, digital scales, packaging materials, and a gun found to be reported stolen in 2018.
Stokes was charged with Possession of Schedule I with intent, Possession of Schedule II with intent, Possession of Marijuana with intent, Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, Theft By receiving stolen property, Possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. He also had additional charges listed on the Bibb County Jail's website, including Simple Battery, Hit and Run, Fleeting and Attempting to Elude and various other charges.
He was indicted on more charges in August of this year, and no trial date has been set.
37-year-old Johnifer Barnwell:
Barnwell was found guilty on Oct. 1 on gun and drug charges, according to the U.S. District Attorney's Office for Middle Georgia.
They say he was found guilty of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, meth and heroin and Possession of those drugs with the intention to distribute.
He also faced charges of Possession of a firearm in the furtherance of drug trafficking charges.
Barnwell was part of the MOB Mafia Street Gang, according to the press release. He was identified by the agencies as a drug distributor as part of the organization.
They say Barnwell and a co-defendant would mix fentanyl and heroin in a kitchen blending before selling the drugs. They would sell them at "trap houses" and a local nightclub.