PERRY, Ga. (AP) - A former Georgia correctional officer was arrested and accused of fatally stabbing his mother and stepfather, authorities said.
Anthony Douglas Shoffner, 25, was charged Wednesday with two counts of murder in the deaths of Rebecca Griffin, 46, and Kenneth Griffin, 42, news outlets reported.
Perry police Capt. Heath Dykes said officers went to the couple’s home Wednesday to perform a wellness check after Kenneth Griffin didn’t show up for work. Officers found the couple with multiple stab wounds, Dykes said. They were pronounced dead at the scene.
As police searched the area for Shoffner, he allegedly attacked a maintenance worker with a baseball bat, Dykes said. Shoffner was later arrested at a Walgreens after authorities responded to a disturbance call. He was charged with aggravated assault in the incident.
A motive for the killings was not immediately released. Dykes said a drug and alcohol test will be performed on Shoffner. It’s unclear whether Shoffner had an attorney who could comment on his behalf.
Shoffner was a corrections officer from 2014 to 2016. He was one of 45 officers accused of accepting bribe payments and smuggling contraband into prisons in exchange for providing protection for drug deals that were part of a federal undercover operation.
He was fired from Department of Corrections on Feb. 11, 2016.
Shoffner was indicted on bribery and attempted drug trafficking charges. He later pled guilty to to conspiracy to attempt to distribute methamphetamine on Nov. 9, 2016, The Macon Telegraph reported, citing court documents.
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