MACON, Ga. — The Bibb County Sheriff's Office announced Thursday that Sheriff David Davis fired a deputy for security breaches he says led to a jailbreak early Oct. 16.
Travaris Freeman started at the jail in September 2020 as a non-certified deputy. Davis fired him after the completion of an internal affairs investigation the sheriff's office says revealed Freeman broke protocols.
The Basics
13WMAZ obtained a month's worth of jail staffing reports, including a report that shows how deputies were scheduled the night of the escape. Freeman was the only deputy in the west wing of the jail that night, overseeing cell blocks A and B.
The shift in question ran from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. From a warrant for Chavis Stokes, we know the escape happened toward the end of the shift, around 3:27 a.m. That warrant also says the four inmates escaped from the B-300 dayroom, part of Freeman's wing.
Rules Broken
Thursday, the sheriff's office announced they fired Freeman for a few reasons including unbecoming conduct, unsatisfactory performance and failure to follow jail operations.
They say jailers should check on inmates in person at least every hour instead of using security cameras. They also say jailers should use a flashlight and ensure each inmate they see is breathing.
A source close to the jail told 13WMAZ in October an officer heard the sounds of what may have been chiseling in that cell block. That source also said the officer was told to log what they heard instead of checking it out because of low staffing levels.
They explained there must be two deputies to complete a routine block check. Freeman was the only one in the area, according to the staffing log.
One Jailer per Block
He wasn't the only jailer alone that night.
According to the staffing log, the east wing, cell blocks C and D, also had one deputy on shift. That deputy was at the hospital with an inmate for at least 1.25 hours, the report said. The K-Block, which houses women, had one deputy the whole shift. J-Block's single deputy logged a late start at 7:36 p.m.
F-Block's lone jailer only worked two hours of the shift, which matches the account our source gave us before we even obtained it.
According to the report, there were only seven deputies working the night of the escape, not including two deputies working booking, and the corporal in charge that night. Three of the seven deputies only worked part of the shift.
The sheriff's office says more deputies could face discipline. We requested a copy of Freeman's personnel file and the internal affairs investigation into the escape. We haven't received them yet.
Sheriff Davis was not available for comment Thursday.