SUPERIOR COURT
A Macon man who was arrested in November after leaving traffic court received a 10-year sentence following the entry of guilty pleas in Jones County Superior Court.
Kenneth Dewayne Graves Jr. was in court May 11 to enter his plea to possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
The counts are to run concurrently for a total of 10 years with the first 180 days to serve in confinement. The remainder of the sentence may be served on probation, and the defendant will received credit for time served from Nov. 2-10, 2022, and from March 13.
Jessica Werner was with Graves at the time of the arrest and was also charged with possession and the sale of marijuana. He took responsibility of for the drugs during the court proceeding, and the state agreed to dismiss her charges.
Graves also entered a guilty plea May 11 for a charge of misdemeanor obstruction of an officer that he received while he was in custody. The 12-month sentence for the charge will run concurrently with the previous sentence.
The report of Graves’ arrest began with Gray Police Department Capt. Eric Maynard, who was working security Nov. 2 at Gray Municipal Court. Maynard was using the metal detector as people entered the courtroom, and he noticed a strong odor of marijuana from Werner. The captain contacted GPD Lt. Thaxton Pennamon, who was on patrol while court was going on, and asked him to run the plate on the vehicle in which Werner arrived. He said he explained the reason for inquiry, and Pennamon responded that the vehicle was showing no insurance.
Pennamon performed a traffic stop on the 2017 Nissan Altima when it left the parking lot. The officer said he made contact with the driver, Graves, and asked for his license. It turned out his driver’s license was suspended.
When Pennamon asked about the strong smell of marijuana, Graves gave him a small amount of marijuana. The insurance on the car, which belonged to Werner, had also been cancelled.
GPD Officer Josh Josey was called to the scene to assist Pennamon and removed a firearm from Graves.
Werner was in possession of more than $600 in cash. Josey said the driver and passenger were taken into custody, and he began an inventory of the car. The officer found a black/grey drawstring style bag in the trunk containing a large plastic bag that had been cut open with four large quantities of a green, leafy substance believed to be marijuana. The estimated weight of the marijuana was four ounces. In addition to the marijuana, 25 clear individual empty bags were found along with a magazine for a Taurus .40 caliber handgun.
Josey said the items were taken into evidence as were the phones of the suspects. The officer said Graves and Werner were transported to the Jones County Law Enforcement Center and warrants secured for their charges.
