Bibb County jail escapee expected to plead guilty. What sentence is he facing?
A Bibb County Jail escapee is expected to plead guilty Thursday afternoon, according to court records.
Johnifer Barnwell was charged with escaping and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution after he and three other inmates escaped the Bibb County Jail last year. The details of his plea agreement were not known as of early Thursday.
Barnwell was in the Bibb County Jail awaiting sentencing after a federal jury found him guilty on six drug-trafficking charges. He is facing life in prison and a $10 million fine.
According to an affidavit from an FBI agent, on Oct. 16, 2023, the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office found Barnwell and three other inmates missing from the jail. The day before, at 10:19 p.m., surveillance footage captured a blue Dodge Challenger in the parking in front of the jail fence. An unidentified man was seen cutting the fencing of the jail and entering. The affidavit said the man cut the inside fencing of the jail and dropped off a backpack outside a window. He then returned to the car and left.
At 3:20 a.m., the Challenger was observed in the same area again, according to the affidavit. Barnwell and another inmate were seen running toward the fence with the backpack and exiting the jail through the holes. Two other inmates later followed.
The affidavit also named Janecia Green as the person who helped Barnwell escape after he left the jail. Video surveillance from public housing security showed Green’s vehicle leaving her residence around the same time Barnwell and the other inmates escaped. Her vehicle was then located in Jones County, heading eastbound at 4 a.m.
Barnwell was arrested Nov. 12 and Green was arrested Nov. 14.
Green pleaded guilty to assisting the escape of a person in custody. She is facing a maximum of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and a $100 mandatory assessment.
