Columbus police charge 5th suspect allegedly tied to Ghostface Gangsters

In an ongoing investigation spawned months ago by storage unit thefts and high-speed U-Haul truck chases, Columbus police have charged a fifth suspect allegedly associated with the Ghostface Gangsters street gang.

During a preliminary hearing Wednesday in Recorder’s Court, Adam James Canada, 37, faced multiple counts of identity fraud, criminal gang activity, forgery, theft and gun charges that detectives said stemmed from his involvement in the whites-only gang that began in a Cobb County jail about two decades ago.

Detectives previously alleged suspects Kevin Carver, Kevin Brian Davis, Brandon Barfield and Cody Watson also were gang members or associates that authorities said has been operating in Georgia since 2000.

According to police and court records, Canada initially was charged with 35 counts of identity fraud, 21 counts of gang activity, four weapons offenses, two counts each of third-degree forgery and fourth-degree forgery, and one each of selling meth and having a drug-related object.

Canada was represented by Columbus attorney Mark Post, who acknowledged the evidence was sufficient for Judge Julius Hunter to forward the case to Muscogee Superior Court.

But he and prosecutor Matt Brown agreed that for Wednesday’s probable cause hearing, all but one of the gang activity and identity fraud charges would be dropped. That simplified the case for Hunter to give Canada bonds totaling $75,750, but the charges that were dropped only for the Recorder’s Court hearing may be revived when prosecutors take the case to a Muscogee grand jury.

Police said Canada’s offenses spanned several months, starting sometime last year. Detectives said they encountered Canada in April while searching for Kevin Davis, whom they tracked to Canada’s 30th Street home.

That’s also where officers found Cody Watson, whom they arrested a few weeks later.

Chasing a U-Haul

The hunt for Davis was prompted by reports of thefts from The Storage Place, 4445 Warm Springs Road, where a manager told investigators April 12 that Davis and Carver loaded a Dodge Ram pickup with equipment they took from the business’ storage room. The suspects left with that load, and then returned for more, the witness said.

The manager arrived as they were loading the truck again, and blocked the pickup in. Carver was arrested then. Davis ran away, but Carver identified his accomplice, picking Davis’ picture from a photo lineup, police said.

On April 15, police were called to the storage business again: A trucker renting a unit there reported finding two men loading his collectibles into a U-Haul truck. They sped away with about $1,500 worth of his goods, some of the loot tumbling onto the pavement, the victim said.

Police got a tip that Davis was driving the truck, which had a distinct camel emblem on it. Patrol officers were told to be on the lookout for it.

Around 1 a.m. April 16, officers saw the truck on Second Avenue and tried to stop it. The U-Haul sped north to the J.R. Allen Parkway and turned east, ramming and disabling a police cruiser near Schomburg Road.

At 2 a.m., police spotted the truck again, at the J.R. Allen Parkway and Moon Road. Again the driver rammed and disabled a police car, and got away.

Investigators knew Davis’ cell phone number, so they began to track it, following the signal to Canada’s 30th Street address, where they were told Davis had been there around 3 or 4 a.m., but had left. Officers arrested Davis there about 7:30 p.m. that day.

Around 11:30 p.m. April 17, police saw Barfield driving the U-Haul at 42nd Street and Meritas Drive, investigators said. Though the truck rammed a police car, the officer still was able to pursue the U-Haul, which police chased to Miller Road and Milgen Road, where Barfield wrecked and ran, they said. He was arrested after officers ran him down.

Detectives said they since have been following up on the evidence discovered during that initial investigation, and still have more work to do.

After charging Carver, Davis and Barfield, police next arrested Watson, who faced multiple felony counts May 3 in Recorder’s Court. His charges included gang activity, forgery, weapons offenses and drug possession. Detective Michael O’Keefe described him as a “documented Ghostface Gangster member.”

Investigators now allege Canada also has been committing crimes to further the interest of the gang.

The Ghostface Gangsters made headlines in March when federal and state agents arrested 23 gang leaders, members and associates who were named in a 21-count indictment. The crimes alleged included conspiracy to commit racketeering, conspiracy to commit drug trafficking, carjacking, attempted murder, kidnapping, maiming, assault, firearms offenses and possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute it.

Most of those arrested were from the Atlanta area, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Ghostface Gangsters are known to violently enforce gang rules and to use contraband cell phones to conduct criminal activities from within prisons. Authorities say the gang has expanded outside the prison system, and now has thousands of members in Georgia.

This story was originally published May 30, 2018 at 3:15 PM with the headline "Columbus police charge 5th suspect allegedly tied to Ghostface Gangsters."