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Name:
Cranford, Michael Benjamin
Date of Booking:
09/04/2026
Reason(s) For Booking:
Simple Assault – Family Violence
Possession Of Marijuana Less Than 1 Oz – 1st
Reckless Conduct
Public Drunkenness
Reckless Conduct
Pedestrian Under The Influence
Officer’s Narrative:
[Please note: The following is a direct transcription from the official initial incident report. The Georgia Gazette does not fix any spelling or grammatical errors that may exist. Any changes or redactions made by our staff are placed inside brackets. Some errors may exist. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The topics discussed may be sensitive to some readers. Discretion is advised.]
On September 4th, 2026, I responded in non-emergency mode to [900 BLOCK] Cleveland St., Griffin, GA 30223 in reference to a domestic dispute.
Prior to arrival on scene contact was made at the intersection of E. Solomon St./Pearl St. with a white male later identified as Mr. Michael Cranford (dob: [REDACTED BY AGENCY]) who matched the description of the second party provided by Ms. Dana Philmore (dob:[REDACTED BY AGENCY]) Mr. Cranford stated that he had been involved in a verbal dispute with Ms. Philmore and left the residence in an attempt to diffuse the situation. Mr. Cranford was visibly frustrated, talking in a loud voice during this investigation with animated and exaggerated hand gestures.
Mr. Cranford advised that he had been drinking prior to the altercation and became upset with Ms. Philmore due to her stating that he was an alcoholic. Mr. Cranford stated at one point during the altercation he had gone into the restroom in an attempt to calm down and Ms. Philmore was “in his face” when he turned around from the restroom. Mr. Cranford stated he put his arm out in attempt to distance himself from Ms. Philmore. Mr. Cranford denied any further physical contact with Ms. Philmore. Mr. Cranford stated he later left the residence to calm down and upon returning to the front door, Ms. Philmore had a black or brown handled butcher knife from the kitchen and cut the inside of his left palm with the knife. Mr. Cranford denied needing EMS. I observed a minor superficial abrasion between Mr. Cranford’s thumb and index finger on his left hand with no active bleeding.
After speaking with Mr. Cranford, I had MPO D. Scott standby with Mr. Cranford while I made contact with Ms. Philmore, who was currently speaking with Sgt. S. Jones.
Ms. Philmore stated that she and Mr. Cranford had been involved in a verbal altercation and that Mr. Cranford had grabbed her on her left arm prior to leaving the residence. Ms. Philmore stated she felt as if she had marks on her upper left arm, however when I observed the area Ms. Philmore advised she had been grabbed, I did not observe any redness, swelling, bruising or abrasions. Ms. Philmore stated there was an extensive history with Mr. Cranford involving verbal altercations.
Ms. Philmore stated when Mr. Cranford left the residence he was carrying a green in color book bag which contained at least one knife. Ms. Philmore was unable to advise of any other contents inside the bag. I advised Ms. Philmore that Mr. Cranford did not have a bag with him when I made contact. Ms. Philmore stated, “he left it somewhere then, he knows people all around here”.
Spalding County Sheriff’s Deputy C. Lowe was able to locate the bag along the fence line in the grass on the opposite side of Cleveland St. near the residence. The bag contained a 45 caliber M&P firearm bearing serial number SNH3313 with Wilson County Sheriff s Office engraved on the barrel with 11 rounds of ammunition inside the magazine, a survival knife, a glass container weighing 5 grams of a green leafy substance suspected to be marijuana, a glass multicolored pipe, a bottle of Jameson alcohol, and assorted personal items which have all been logged into evidence by Ofc. K. Smallwood.
Ms. Philmore was placed under arrest for aggravated assault family violence, handcuffed behind her back, double locked and checked for fit. Ms. Philmore was transported to the Spalding County Jail using the most direct route possible and turned over to jail staff without further incident. Back seat checks were performed before and after transport.
Mr. Cranford was placed under arrest for disorderly conduct, reckless conduct, possession of less than an ounce of marijuana, possession of firearm during the commission of a crime, simple assault family violence, and pedestrian under the influence. Mr. Cranford was transported to the Spalding County Jail by Ofc. D. Scott.
Warrants will be requested for both Mr. Cranford and Ms. Philmore.
[End of Narrative]