JONES COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Three inmates in the Jones County jail are facing additional charges, and a girlfriend of one of the inmates was placed under arrest, all in connection to a contraband drop.
William Lynwood Cumbie and Samantha Thomas were charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, and Marshall McInvale and Justin Wiggins were charged with party to the crime of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.
A report of the incident leading to the charges by Jones County Sheriff’s Department Investigator John Simmons states that he was asked by Capt. Shane Moody to follow up on information received about a contraband drop.
Simmons said Moody asked him to listen to jail phone calls to determine who was involved and when and where the drop was taking place. The investigator said he did a search of the phone records and found that Wiggins arranged for Thomas, his girlfriend, to drop contraband outside the jail. Once it was dropped, McInvale, a trustee who works in the kitchen, was to pick it up. When he could not get to it, Cumbie was to pick it up.
Investigator Barron Hall, Sgt. Travis Walker and Simmons watched the package from the employee parking lot, and Capt. Kenny Allen watched from across the street from the jail.
Simmons said Cumbie picked up the package and laid it in the trash can.
Cumbie agreed to speak with Hall and gave him the final location of the package. He said the package was photographed and opened in front of the inmate. Two cans of tobacco, two lighters and one pink push pop container with a quantity of what was believed to be methamphetamine were found in the package.
Simmons said the case remains under investigation.
Thomas was arrested Aug. 22 and was in Jones County Superior Court Aug. 25 seeking bond. She was represented in the proceeding by defense attorney John Newberry. The attorney told the court that Thomas lives in Milledgeville with her father, who is ill and needs her assistance. He said his client’s only previous arrest was a theft in 2010 that took place in Tennessee.
“Ms. Thomas is employed full time and has an associates degree. She has significant ties to the community and in not a flight risk,” Newberry said.
Superior Court Judge Hugh Wingfield presided over the bond hearing, and Assistant District Attorney Cara Fiore was the prosecutor.
Fiore gave the court the facts of the case and agreed Thomas had little criminal history. She did suggest the defendant may still have ties to Tennessee.
Wingfield asked if the state had a suggestion for a bond amount, if granted, and Fiore said $50,000 was usual for the charge.
Newberry asked for a bond of $20,000.
Wingfield said he could not agree to $20,000.
“There is no reason to deviate from the usual amount. With methamphetamine, there is always a danger to reoffend,” he said.
Thomas was granted a $50,000 bond. The bond order included the condition of no contact with her codefendants.
