UPDATE: Deputies report finding car that escaped inmates from Bibb County Jail used to get away

UPDATE (10/20 – 9:30 p.m.): The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office says it has recovered the blue Dodge Challenger used in the inmate escape.

The vehicle was recovered Friday in the parking lot of Biomat USA, located at 630 North Ave in Macon.

Deputies say it was located after Criminal Intelligence Units followed up on leads of the vehicle location.

Sheriff David Davis said “he appreciates the tips and every lead that we have received is being followed up on.”

Anyone with information on the possible location(s) of these escapees should call the FBI’s tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), the USMS at 1-877-WANTED2. Tips may also be submitted online at tips.fbi.gov or USMS Tips App.

UPDATE (10/18 – 8 p.m.): Authorities are now offering reward money totaling $73,000 for the re-capture of four inmates who escaped the Bibb County Jail on Monday.

The following rewards are being offered for information leading to the capture of the four inmates:

Johnifer Barnwell
• FBI: $10,000
• U.S. Marshals Service: $5,000
• Bibb County Sheriff’s Office: $5,000
• Macon Regional Crime Stoppers: $2,000
Total: $22,000

Joey Fournier
• FBI: $5,000
• U.S. Marshals Service: $5,000
• Bibb County Sheriff’s Office: $5,000
• Macon Regional Crime Stoppers: $2,000
Total: $17,000

Chavis Stokes
• FBI: $5,000
• U.S. Marshals Service: $5,000
• Bibb County Sheriff’s Office: $5,000
• Macon Regional Crime Stoppers: $2,000
Total: $17,000

Marc K. Anderson
• FBI: $5,000
• U.S. Marshals Service: $5,000
• Bibb County Sheriff’s Office: $5,000
• Macon Regional Crime Stoppers: $2,000
Total: $17,000

The FBI said in a news release Wednesday night that Barnwell was convicted earlier this month on federal drug trafficking charges and faces a significant time in prison when sentenced.

In a separate news release Wednesday night, the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office said it has been working with law enforcement partners, including FBI agents from the Macon Resident Agency and the U.S. Marshals Service, to track down the four missing inmates.

“Everyone from the Bibb Sheriff’s Office and our law enforcement partners is focused on recapturing these fugitives,” Bibb County Sheriff David Davis said. “We ask that anyone having information about these wanted individuals to make the call and help us bring these escapees back to jail.”

Contact the FBI’s tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service at 1-877-WANTED2, Macon Regional Crimestoppers at 1-877-68-CRIME or the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office at 478-751-7500 with any information. Tips may also be submitted online at tips.fbi.gov.

The sheriff’s office also has two special hot lines set up for tips: 478-310-4485 and 478-310-4502.

UPDATE: (10/16 – 4:30 p.m.)  — A manhunt continues in Bibb County as local and federal authorities, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), search for four inmates who escaped the Bibb County Law Enforcement center early Monday morning. A $1,000 reward is being offered for information leading to their re-capture.

“They could be anywhere. We don’t know if they’re all together at this point. We don’t have any reason to believe that they had any association with each other out on the street, but they certainly had some type of association with each other inside the jail,” Sheriff David Davis said in a news conference Monday afternoon.

The inmates, identified as 52-year-old Joey Fournier, 24-year-old Marc Kerry Anderson, 37-year-old Johnifer Dernard Barnwell, and 29-year-old Chavis Demaryo Stokes, escaped through a second-floor day room window around 3:30 a.m., according to Davis. Jail employees discovered a break in the facility’s fence at around 6 a.m.,  and that triggered a review of security footage.

“Right now my focus is getting these individuals back in the jail,” Davis said.

He explained that the search began as soon as the escape was realized but that a BOLO (Be On The Lookout) wasn’t issued until after 11 a.m. to ensure accurate information.

A blue Dodge Challenger was seen in the area earlier in the morning, according to Davis. The escape took place when fewer than 10 employees were staffing the jail, which houses about 800 inmates, and it happened “in the oldest part of the jail.”

The inmates were detained for charges ranging from murder to drug trafficking.

Anyone with information should call Macon Regional Crimestoppers at 1-877-68-CRIME. Two additional hotlines have also been set up: 478-310-4485 and 478-310-4502.

Sheriff Davis says the sheriff’s office will evaluate staff, facility and procedural changes once the men are re-captured.

UPDATE (10/16 – 12:05 p.m.) – All Bibb County Schools will be on a precautionary lockdown the rest of the day to ensure the safety of students and staff in response to the escaped inmates. Precautionary lockdown limits outdoor activity, but instruction will continue as normal inside the building. The Bibb School District say there’s no reason to assume schools are in danger, but precautions are being taken to ensure safety.

ORIGINAL STORY: (10/16 – 11:30 a.m.):

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office is looking for inmates who escaped from the Bibb County Law Enforcement Center.

Deputes says those inmates are 52-year-old Joey Fournier, 29-year-old Chavis Stokes, 25-year-old Marc Anderson and 37-year-old Johnifer Barnwell. The blue Dodge Challenger pictured here was seen around the time of the escape.

Fournier was being held in the detention center on a murder charge, Anderson was being held on an aggravated assault charge, Barnwell was being detained for U.S. Marshals and Stokes was being detained on charges of possession of a firearm and drug trafficking.

If you have any information, call the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office or Macon Regional Crimestoppers at 1-877-68-CRIME.