A Saturday evening report of suspicious activity near Hays State Prison led to the arrest of an Atlanta man and the recovery of a large amount of contraband in Chattooga County.
According to the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were alerted around 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 13, after a suspicious male carrying a duffle bag was seen entering the woods off Underwood Drive near the prison. Deputies, along with Trion Police, Hays State Prison officials, and Warden Jones, responded quickly and established a perimeter around the area.
Sheriff’s Investigator and drone pilot Daniel Sanford deployed a thermal drone and located the suspect moving through the wooded area. Investigators believe the individual may have been startled by nearby property owners hunting coyotes, prompting him to exit the woods near Highway 27 and the Verizon store. Deputies and an off-duty Summerville Police officer were waiting in the area and took the suspect into custody.
Authorities said the man initially provided false identifying information and claimed he had entered the woods to use the bathroom. Law enforcement officers and prison officials later searched the wooded area with assistance from a Gordon County Sheriff’s Office K-9 unit and located a large backpack containing 21 packages of contraband. Items recovered included marijuana, tobacco, more than 20 cell phones, an electric dremel tool with metal-cutting blades, security bits, and other prohibited items. Two additional packages were discovered Sunday morning in the same area by K-9 Kendy and Deputy Nick Robinson.
The suspect was identified as 22-year-old Demarco Letroy Statham Jr. of Atlanta. Prison officials said he had been released from another Georgia prison several months ago.
Statham has been charged with multiple felonies, including criminal attempt to provide contraband to an inmate, possession of more than one ounce of marijuana, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, and use of a communication facility to commit a felony. He also faces misdemeanor charges of obstruction of an officer, criminal trespass, loitering and prowling, and possession of drug-related objects.