BIBB COUNTY, Ga. — A man who was among four inmates that escaped the Bibb County Jail in 2023 will spend more years behind bars.
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In Oct. 2023, Johnifer Dernard Barnwell, aka “Whoop,” aka “Malixe,” 38, of Macon, was found guilty of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine and heroin; possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine and cocaine base; and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
He was sentenced to life in prison. On Monday, a judge sentenced Barnwell to serve the statutory maximum of five years in prison after he pleaded guilty to one count of escape from custody in July 2024.
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The conviction stems from when Barnwell, Joey Fournier, Marc Kerry Anderson, and Chavis Demaryo Stokes escaped from the Bibb County Detention Center.
Barnwell was found inside a home on Alpine Drive in Augusta almost a month later.
According to court documents, when Barnwell was taken into custody he was allegedly in possession of an AK-47 rifle with a loaded magazine, a 12-gauge shotgun loaded with 14 rounds, a .45 caliber pistol with a loaded magazine, an extended capacity magazine, a drum magazine, 23,000 grams of methamphetamine; and more than 3,200 grams of fentanyl.
“Despite his attempts to escape justice, Johnifer Barnwell has been held accountable for his criminal actions,” said Acting U.S. Attorney C. Shanelle Booker. “Law enforcement officers risked their lives to ensure that a repeat felon was brought to justice and to prevent the distribution of some of the deadliest drugs in our state.”
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