On Saturday, December 13, at approximately 7:30 p.m., deputies were alerted to a suspicious male carrying a duffle bag who entered the woods off Underwood Drive near Hays State Prison. Deputies, Trion Police, Warden Jones, and members of the prison staff quickly responded and established a perimeter around the area.

Sheriff’s Investigator and drone pilot Daniel Sanford responded and deployed a thermal drone, quickly locating the individual and tracking his movements while relaying information to officers on the ground. The suspect, possibly startled by nearby property owners hunting coyotes, exited the woods near the Verizon store along Highway 27, where deputies and an off-duty Summerville Police officer were waiting. He was taken into custody without incident.

The suspect initially provided false identification information and claimed he had only gone into the woods to “use the bathroom.” Following his arrest, law enforcement officers and prison officials, assisted by a Gordon County Sheriff’s Office K-9 unit, searched the wooded area and located a large backpack. Inside were 21 packages containing marijuana and tobacco, more than 20 cell phones, an electric Dremel tool with metal cutting blades, security bits, a handheld driver, and other contraband items. Two additional similar packages were discovered Sunday morning by K-9 Kendy and Deputy Nick Robinson in the same area.

The suspect was identified as 22-year-old Demarco Letroy Statham Jr. of Atlanta. Prison officials stated he had been released from another Georgia prison a few months earlier. He was charged with multiple offenses including Criminal Attempt to Provide Contraband to an Inmate (Felony), Possession of More Than an Ounce of Marijuana (Felony), Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Distribute (Felony), Use of a Communication Facility to Commit a Felony (Felony), Obstruction of an Officer (Misdemeanor), Criminal Trespass (Misdemeanor), Loitering and Prowling (Misdemeanor), and Possession of Drug-Related Objects (Misdemeanor).

“I would like to thank everyone for their quick response to this situation,” said Sheriff Mark A. Schrader. “My office, along with Hays State Prison staff and Warden Jones, take these types of calls very seriously and work together to aggressively fight attempts to introduce contraband into the prison.”