STEMS FROM DRIVING-RELATED ARREST IN OCONEE COUNTY
Former Georgia Bulldog and NFL offensive lineman Ben Cleveland was booked at the Baldwin County jail on Aug. 18 and charged with one count of probation violation.
The booking stems from a July 16 incident near Watkinsville, where an Oconee Sheriff’s Office deputy initially pulled Cleveland over for speeding.
Cleveland then produced an “old” driver’s license, according to the incident report. Cleveland was driving on a limited permit and “was not driving to work or to home as stated in the Limited Permit conditions,” the deputy concluded. He was booked at the Oconee County jail.
Eventually, Cleveland’s probation officer here in Baldwin County filed a probation violation affidavit, which meant Cleveland had to come back to Baldwin County to be processed at the jail on Old Monticello Road.
On the Aug. 18 booking report, Cleveland is listed with a Bill Johnson Road address. Originally from Toccoa, Cleveland owns three properties in Baldwin County, according to tax records – a lakehouse on Bill Johnson Road, a mobile home on Deepstep Road, and 153 acres of land on Harmony Church Road.
Following a standout career at Georgia, Cleveland entered the NFL draft in 2021, measuring in at 6-foot-6 and 343 pounds at the NFL combine. He was drafted in the third round by the Baltimore Ravens, signing a four-year, $4.8 million deal.
A BCSO deputy pulled Cleveland over on Feb. 12, 2025, after he left the country club. He blew a .178 into a breathalyzer, more than twice the legal limit. Cleveland was charged with one count of DUI and one count of failure to maintain lane.
The NFL ultimately suspended Cleveland for three games, and he was released by the Ravens following the 2025 season. Cleveland then signed with the Los Angeles Chargers, but that organization released him two weeks after his arrest in Oconee County.