The mayor of Thomson, Georgia, has been acquitted by a jury after facing charges related to an incident involving a bottle of gin left in a ditch for a state prison work crew. The mayor, Benjamin “Benji” Cranford, was found not guilty of furnishing prohibited items to inmates and attempting to commit a felony.
The incident in question occurred when Cranford purchased a bottle of Seagram's Extra Dry Gin from a liquor store and then dropped it in a ditch across the road. While prosecutors alleged that this act was intentional, Cranford's defense argued that the bottle fell out of his vehicle as he was adjusting his Bluetooth wireless connection.
