MONTEZUMA, Ga. — The U.S. Marshals on Thursday arrested one of the four inmates who escaped from the Bibb County Jail. They escaped from the jail in the early hours of Oct. 16.
After an 11-day manhunt, Chavis Stokes was captured in Montezuma in Macon County on Thursday.
In a news release, the Bibb County Sheriff's Office said that the 29-year-old was arrested at a home in Montezuma — a 1-hour drive and 50 miles away from the Bibb County Detention Center — at around 2 p.m. on Thursday.
The news release did not note whether anyone else will be charged in helping Stokes avoid capture during the 11-day manhunt.
But on his jail webpage, they say Stokes is now charged with felony escape, which could carry up to 10 years in prison.
But before his escape, Stokes was facing a laundry list of nearly 25 charges.
While Stokes had a large number of charges against him, most were drug-related.
What was he in for?
Stokes was arrested in February 2020 in a drug bust in east Macon.
It happened after a raid at 619 Main Street and 360 Jones Avenue on Feb. 4, 2020, according to previous reporting.
The Bibb Special Investigation Unit, SWAT teams and U.S. Marshals executed search warrants at those homes. In the raid, investigators found cocaine, marijuana, digital scales and package materials, the authorities said at the time.
They also found a gun that was reported stolen in 2018.
In that drug bust, Stokes was charged with possession of Schedule 1 drug with intent to distribute, Possession with Schedule II with intent to distribute, and possession of Marijuana with intent to distribute. They also charged him with possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.
On the jail's website, Stokes had a number of additional charges tacked on, too. He was indicted back in August on more crimes, and his trial date had not been determined, according to previous reporting.
Some of those crimes appeared to have happened during his time in jail like providing contraband to inmates.
Here are all of the charges he was facing according to his former page on the Bibb County Sheriff's Office. When someone is released — or, in this case, escapes — from the jail, the page is then removed from the jail website.
Charges:
Aggravated assault
Simple Battery
Giving inmates liquor, drugs, weapons, telecommunications device, etc without the consent of the warden.
Three counts of sale of a Schedule I or II controlled substance
Three counts of possession of a schedule III, IV or V controlled substance with intent to distribute
Trafficking in cocaine, illegal drugs, marijuana or methamphetamine
- Criminal damage to property in the second degree
Two counts of willful obstruction of law enforcement officers
Driving while licenses suspended or revoked
Hit and run; duty of driver to stop at or return to scene of the accident
Two counts of fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer
Aggressive driving
Two counts of receipt, possession or transfer of firearm by convicted felony or felony (first offender)
Marijuana possession of less than 1 ounce.
Possession of a firearm or knife during the commission of or attempt to commit certain felonies.
Theft by receiving stolen property
Probation violation (When Probation Terms are Altered) for Fingerprintable charge - Felony
Failure to appear for Fingerprintable Charge - Felony
Stokes will face additional charges as a result of the escape. It is unclear where he will be held.
What's next in the search:
Stoke's capture also reveals that at least one of the inmates split up. Previously, it was unclear if the group was still together or if they had gone their separate ways.
If someone were to have provided the information about Stokes' location, they were in for quite a payday.
He had a $12,000 reward for information directly leading to his capture — $5,000 from the U.S. Marshals, $5,000 from the Bibb County Sheriff's Office, and $2,000 from the Macon Regional Crime Stoppers.
Meanwhile, three of the inmates are still on the run. Joey Fournier faces murder charges, Marc Anderson faces aggravated assault charges and Johnifer Barnwell was convicted on a of number serious drug crimes.
The Bibb County Sheriff says you can call the FBI with tips at 1-800-CALL-FBI or the U.S. Marshals Service at 1-877-WANTED2.
Who else has been charged/connected to the jail escape:
Earlier this week, two other people were charged with aiding in the escape of the four inmates.
Mykia Williams was the first person to be arrested. On Monday morning, she was arrested for allegedly helping the inmates escape. She was arrested after a raid at her apartment on Vineville Avenue.
Also in the apartment was Christian Williams. He who was supposed to face trial in the murder of Greg Watkins at a convenience store in 2021, was allegedly kidnapped. He had been missing for the past seven months.
Video released the morning of his trial showed two men dragging him in what appeared to be a kidnapping.
While the video has been seen as suspicious — with many people believing he faked his kidnapping — both Bibb County Sheriff David Davis and District Attorney Anita Howard declined to speculate. They did say that it was abnormal.
During the raid, Christian shot himself and he would die of his injuries Tuesday morning, according to the Bibb County Coroner Leon Jones.
The Bibb County Sheriff's office is still investigating what role he may have played in the Bibb County Jail escape.
Then, on Tuesday, Jakaylen Billy Ray Williams was arrested on four counts of aiding or permitting another to escape lawful custody, but he was also charged with receipt of stolen property.
That stolen property was the blue Dodge Challenger that the sheriff's office released photos of on the day the four inmates escaped from jail, the sheriff's office confirmed to 13WMAZ.
Who is Christian Williams and how was he tied to the case?