Over 100 pounds of marijuana were seized Friday from an Augusta home, but no arrests have been made, authorities said.

Around 7 a.m. Friday, deputies answered a call to the 4300 block of Goshen Lake Drive South for a trespasser on private property.

“Upon Sheriff’s Deputies arrival, the suspects fled the scene. After a search of the surrounding areas, Sheriff’s Deputies located the trespassing suspects off of Hwy 88 in Hephzibah,” sheriff’s Sgt. Shane McDanoel Sr. said in a press release. “The Sheriff’s Deputies conducted a field interview of the trespassing suspects and with that information learned, led Sheriff’s Deputies to 1604 Goshen Clubhouse Drive.”

At 9:20 a.m., narcotics officers used a search warrant to get inside, where they found “over 100 pounds of high grade marijuana,” which was confiscated.

“An arrest has not been made as of this time. This investigation is still ongoing,” Sgt. McDaniel said. “Further details regarding the street value and the arrested will be forthcoming when available. The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office commends Lt. Robbie Silas, Deputy Wesley Stallings, and Deputy Levi McMurtry for their continued efforts in being pro-active when answering calls of a suspicious nature. “

An Augusta man nearly struck two deputies with his car Thursday night while fleeing a DUI checkpoint. He led officers on a chase that ended when he crashed his car into an Augusta home, where he fled on foot before being captured.

Keene Burroughs, 32, of Keys Lane, Augusta, was treated for his injuries at a local hospital and then charged with aggravated assault on a police officer, weapon possession, DUI, driving without a license, leaving scene of accident, reckless driving, fleeing or attempting to elude.

According to a sheriff’s report, the suspect pulled up to a checkpoint at Richmond Hill Road and Bungalow Road about 8:15 p.m. in a 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix. Officers suspected he was drunk and asked him to pull over to the side of the road.

“Burroughs accelerated his vehicle toward Dep. (Steven) Jones and Sgt. John Gray,” a sheriff’s report says. “Dep. Jones had no escape route, thus forcing Dep. Jones to throw his flashlight through the driver’s window striking Burroughs on the left side of the face, causing the vehicle to steer away from (the officers).”

During a chase with another officer, Burroughs tossed out a brown bag with a loaded 12-gauge shotgun in it. He then crashes into a home at 2253 Overlook Road, a report says. He ran from the vehicle but was found behind 2259 Overlook Road.

He told deputies the reason he threw out the shotgun was because “he was scared,” a report says.

Burroughs was taken to GRU Hospital for treatment and later taken to the jail.

A limited supply of Jail Report T-Shirts have been made for the holidays.

Shirts are a comfortable blend of cotton and polyester in a Charcoal Gray color. Sizes: S-M-L-XL-2XL-3XL

They are on sale for $20 each at Lanier’s Fresh Meat Market, 1831 Walton Way, Augusta, GA.

You can call to check availability and store hours at 706-733-3313.

Mike Miller, WJBF-TV Weekend Anchor and Investigative Journalist, was arrested overnight for disorderly conduct in Richmond County.

According to authorities, Miller was arrested at The Country Club for being intoxicated and grabbing a deputy’s Taser. His mugshot shows some scuff marks on his face.

Miller, 28, is expected to be released Saturday morning on his own personal recognizance.

A call to WJBF for comment was not immediately answered.

According to the WJBF website, Mike joined the News team in June 2012. He graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a B.A. in Communication – Broadcast Journalism.

Before coming to WJBF, Mike worked at WVTM Alabama’s 13 in Birmingham, Alabama. He started his work there as a Photographer and later became a Digital Journalist for weekend newscasts.

Stay tuned for more details.

A Hephzibah couple was arrested Sunday after their 11-year-old daughter was found living in a messy home where the temperature was 54 degrees.

Michael Crawford, 33, left, and Tracy Crawford, 38, were both charged with deprivation of a minor. The girl has been removed from the home.

According to a sheriff’s report, the girl returned to her home Sunday afternoon on Lake Michigan Drive after a weekend with the grandmother. But she soon called her grandmother back in hysterics since she couldn’t get her mother and stepfather to come out of their locked bedroom. So the grandmother called the cops.

Deputies found Mrs. Crawford under the influence of something, which she claimed was  prescription drugs. Mr. Crawford was simply passed out.

Even worse, the deputy found a home that was dilapidated, unsanitary and with no working heat. The temperature inside was 54 degrees.

According to a sheriff’s report, there were several piles of dog feces throughout the residence, and the home had an overall smell of animal urine. The girl’s bed sheets were extremely dirty and looked as if they had not been washed in months.

“The food that was in the refrigerator was expired and several items had mold growing,” the sheriff’s report says.

The daughter told deputies she did not want to stay at the home. She told the officer about disturbing incidents involving her stepfather, including one where “he had picked her up by her shirt and threw her.”

As it turns out, the girl’s 15-year-old sister told deputies she no longer lived at the home because of the poor living conditions. Officers contacted the Department of Children and Family Services, who turned the younger girl over to her grandmother.

The Crawfords remain in jail under $3,500 bond each.

Richmond County investigators have identified and arrested 19-year-old Troy Eugene Francis in Friday night’s shooting death of Jonquaves Holcomb.

Francis, pictured here in a mugshot from an earlier arrest, will be charged with murder, three counts of aggravated assault and weapon possession in the death of the 18-year-old victim. Holcomb was shot while on East Cedar Street at Japonica Street at 8:24 p.m. Friday, sheriff’s Sgt. Michael Shane McDaniel Sr. said.

Sgt. McDaniel said no further information is being released, leaving a host of lingering questions in the murder:

1. What is the motive for the killing?
2. What is the identity and condition of the second person who was injured and mentioned in a press release Friday night?
3. If Francis is charged with three counts of aggravated assault, who are those victims and what are their conditions?

A Martinez man is accused of strangling his wife for not handing over her car keys and then begging for them back, according to a sheriff’s report.

Marcus Andrew Banning, 28, has no job and lives with his wife and three children at his parent’s home in Martinez.

His wife works at a local fast-food restaurant and confided to her boss last week that her husband had physically abused her. She was afraid to call police.

So her boss called police, and she explained what led to the violent assault on Dec. 22. The victim got home at 1 a.m. and Banning was waiting for her on the porch, upset that she was late. He told his wife to lock the car and give him the key.

“He takes the car key and makes me beg for them when he is angry with me,” the woman told deputies. “He says I have to give him the key because the car is in his name and that he was selling the car. I told him I have to use it since I am the only one working to support our family.”

Banning again demanded the key. When she tried to walk past him, he grabbed his wife by her book bag and slung her to the ground, a report says. He tried to lock her out of the house, and when she managed to get in the door, Banning grabbed her by the throat and slammed her against a door to the point she could not breathe.

Banning again slung her to the ground and continued an onslaught of name-calling and demands for the car key, a report says.

The victim eventually handed over the key and walked away from the house.

“He threw something at me and called me a whore as I walked away,” the woman said. “I have tried to be a good wife but he still thinks I am cheating on him because I don’t come home exactly on time. I told him that we have to wait till everyone is done with their task and then wait for the manager to release us. He wants me to reply to his text all the time but he does not want to hear it when I tell him I could lose my job if I am caught on my phone while I am working.”

A deputy observed visible marks on both sides of the victim’s neck and bruising on her left arm.

During a confrontation with deputies, the suspect broke down sobbing and admitted having anger issues. He was arrested and charged with aggravated assault – strangulation and battery – family violence.

A former South Carolina corrections officer was arrested today on allegations that she had sex with a male inmate seven times while supervising him at an Aiken pre-release center.

Lashona Tyler, 34, of Springfield, was charged with sexual misconduct with an inmate and misconduct in office. She is currently being held at the Aiken County Detention Center.

According to a warrant, Tyler committed the acts between Jan. 1-Feb. 28, 2014, while employed by the S.C. Department of Corrections  at the Lower Savannah Pre-Release Center in Aiken.

She repeatedly had sex with inmate Kendrick Thompson over the two-month period, a warrant says. Her arrest came after an investigation and her confession, the warrant says.

According to a DOC website, the Lower Savannah Pre-Release Center on Wire Road in Aiken “provides an environment conducive to rehabilitation through work programming, pre-release programming/training, and other relevant programs as a means of reintegrating the offender into the community.”

A DOC spokeswoman says Tyler has been terminated. It is not clear what led to the delay in the sex acts and the woman’s arrest.

A New Year’s Eve crash has resulted in the death of an Aiken man.

Terry Sapp, 35 (pictured), was pronounced dead at Georgia Regents University Shock/Trauma at 3:43 a.m. Thursday, Coroner Tim Carlton said in a press release.

Sapp was involved in a two-vehicle collision near the intersection of Assembly Street and Hampton Aveenue in Aiken at about 10 p.m. Wednesday.

Sapp was the driver of a 1977 Ford F150 truck going east on Hampton when he failed to yield the right of way during an attempt to turn and was struck by a 2001 Volvo driven by Salina Tyler also of Aiken, the coroner said. Sapp, along with occupants of the Volvo, were transported to the hospital.

“Sapp was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash and died from multiple body trauma,” Carlton said. “His blood alcohol level was over 4 times the legal limit as measured by GRU.”

Aiken County authorities are working with New Ellenton police to solve the county’ first homicide of the year.

Dantroy L. Cuthbertson, 35, of Blackville (pictured) was shot to death at 10:30 p.m. Saturday on the 400 block of Williamson Avenue in New Ellenton.

Cuthbertson was pronounced dead at the scene just after midnight Sunday, Coroner Tim Carlton said.

“As this is an ongoing investigation the details surrounding this incident are being evaluated,” the coroner said in a press release.

A motive was not mentioned.

(Editor’s Note: If you have a better photo of the victim or information on him, please email it at publisher@thejailreport.com)

Richmond County Coroner Mark Bowen confirms a murder-suicide has claimed the life of Dr. Charles Falcone (pictured) and his wife, Nola.

At about 10 a.m. Monday, the Coroner’s Office received a call to 3106 Walton Way in Augusta in reference to a possible death.

“(We) found two people inside the residence and both were dead from apparent gunshot wounds,” Bowen said in a press release.
“Both will be transported to the GBI Atlanta Office for an autopsy this week. This is an apparent murder-suicide and more details will be released as soon as they are available.”

According to a bio page on Dr. Falcone on a Jupiter Island, Fla., he graduated from Lehigh University and from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a doctorate in electric power engineering.  He and his wife Nola have lived on Jupiter Island since 1994.  Their “other home” is in Augusta, Georgia.

In 1997, Dr. Falcone retired from American Electric Power, a large Midwestern electric utility company.  He continued as a consultant to that firm and several others since then.  Dr. Falcone has served on the Jupiter Island Town Commission since 2003, and served as the Town’s Mayor from 2006 to 2011.  He led the Commission’s efforts to underground the Town’s electric power lines, 2005 to 2010. He is a Director of the Stuart-Martin County Council of the Arts and the Boys and Girls Club of Martin County.

(Editor’s Note: We could not find a picture of Nola Falcone. If you have one, please email it to publisher@thejailreport.com)

Inside the Jan. 7th edition of The Jail Report:

* 2015 Has Bad Start For North Augusta Woman High on Xanax and Alcohol

* Aiken Regional Patient Slaps & Tries to Bite Nurse

* Coloring Contest Winners

* New Camouflage Jacket Doesn’t Disguise Theft at North Augusta Walmart

* New Ellenton Murder Suspect Wanted to Kill a Cop

* Angry Augusta Man Spits, Curses & Kicks Officers During His Arrest

* Roundtree Q&A: How Are You Keeping Officers Safe Amid Calls for Violence?

* Argument Over Work Leads to Stabbing in Augusta

* Augusta Man Fights 2 Deputies After He Arrives at Ex-Wife’s House

* Augusta Man Attacks Teen After She Leaves Him Pancake-Less

* Molestation: Augusta Man Forces Teen To Have Sex On New Year’s Day

* DID SHE KILL HIM? Sources Say It Appears Wife Killed Husband in Murder-Suicide Inside Million-Dollar Home Along Walton Way Extension

* In Trenton: Worker Caught Stealing Company Products, Selling Them on Facebook

* In Martinez: Armed Man Threatens to ‘Get’ His Girlfriend & Her Boy

* Evans Teenager Damages BMX Track & Delays Opening

* Who Picked Up Man’s Samsung Phone? Police Say This Guy…

* Fun with Captions

* Match the Convict to the Crime Game

* Weekly Cartoon

* Editorial, by Publisher Greg Rickabaugh

* Word Search

* Wanted People

* And More!

A father-daughter pair have been charged with neglect in the starvation death of an elderly Windsor man who they cared for in a house littered with trash, animal and human waste, authorities said.

Dale Sharkey, 56 (left) and Danielle Sharkey, 27 (right), have been charged with abuse or neglect resulting in the death of a vulnerable adult, identified as 74-year-old George F. Gibson. Investigators also hold an arrest warrant for 26-year-old Renee Sharkey.

The victim was taken to a Windsor gas station for help Sunday, where deputies and EMS officials found him unresponsive, authorities said. He died later at Aiken Regional Medical Center.

An investigation showed he lived with the Sharkeys at 622 Stillwater Road in Windsor.

“Investigators met with the Sharkeys at their residence and found the living conditions deplorable,” sheriff’s Sgt. Jason Feemster said. “The residence was full of trash, animal and human waste.”

The home has since been condemned and several cats and dogs seized. Authorities say the Sharkeys were caregivers for Gibson and that his death was the result of neglect and failing to seek medical attention, Sgt. Feemster said.

According to Coroner Tim Carlton, it was determined that Gibson’s physical condition and the witness account of how Gibson came to be at the emergency room were inconsistent. The Coroner’s Office notified the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office due to the possible criminal circumstances.

“During the course of the week it became clear that Mr. Gibson had been severely mistreated by his caretakers,” Carlton said in a press release. “An autopsy was ordered and it confirmed that Mr. Gibson died from pneumonia and  severe decubitis ulcers. These issues were determined to be caused by lack of nutrition, starvation and neglect.”

The coroner called it “one of the worst cases the Coroner’s Office has ever dealt with.”

This investigation was conducted with the assistance of the Aiken County Coroner’s Office, the Second Judicial Circuit Office of the Solicitor, Aiken County Code Enforcement and Aiken County Animal Control.

SLED is helping investigate an overnight shooting death in North Augusta that claimed the life of 23-year-old Donne Lee Brooks Jr., authorities said.

Brooks was pronounced dead at an apartment at Ridgeview Apartment on Bradleyville Road, Coroner Tim Carlton said. A 16-year-old was also shot in the foot around 2:45 a.m. Sunday and was transported to GRU Hospital.

The circumstances of the shooting are being investigated by North Augusta Department of Public Safety, SLED, Aiken County Sheriff’s Office and the Coroner’s Office.

(Editor’s Note: The Jail Report is seeking a photo of Donne Brooks Jr. If you have one, please email it to publisher@thejailreport.com)

A Martinez father was arrested Tuesday after authorities were alerted to a YouTube video he recorded encouraging his dog to hump his 10-year-old son.

Isaac Seman, 35, of Hickory Drive South, Martinez, was charged with child molestation and enticing a child for indecent purposes.

The video was still live on YouTube on Tuesday afternoon and shows Seman “re-enacting the sex scene from Brokeback Mountain,” and having his dog hump his son. The boy is fully clothed and is lying on a couch.

But the video gets more disturbing as Seman tells his son to stroke the male dog’s genitalia.

“Rub the rocket! Rub the rocket! Rub the rocket!” the father is heard saying.

The father then steps in to help the boy stroke the dog as the dog continues moving on top of the boy, who is laughing.

Sheriff’s Capt. Steve Morris said the boy showed a classmate at school the YouTube video, and school officials were later alerted to the video.

The sheriff’s office initially sent out an alert Tuesday seeking Seman and sent this driver’s license photo of the suspect. But authorities quickly found him and took him into custody.

Capt. Morris said they debated the appropriate charge and declined to file animal cruelty and child cruelty charges in place of the child molestation and enticing charges. He said child molestation includes “doing an immoral or indecent act to or in the presence of a minor.”

Below are the headlines in this week’s edition of The Jail Report, hitting stands on Jan. 14th.

Link to front page: http://thejailreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Cover-Issue-633.jpg

* 3 Stories to Make You Reconsider Texting & Driving

* Underage Drinker Used Fake ID For a Night at Aiken Bar

* Aiken Shoplifter Hides Marijuana in Her Vajayjay!!

* Aiken Dad Beats 3-Year-Old Girl

* Caregivers Jailed After Man Dies From Lack of Nutrition, Starvation & Neglect

* After Baby Tests Positive For Cocaine, Beech Island Mom Goes to Jail

* Who Killed Donnie Lee Brooks Jr. in North Augusta?

* Roundtree Q&A: Why Must We Turn on Headlights When It’s Raining?

* Sheriff Roundtree & The Piggy Bank

* Attorney Jeffrey Johnston Column: Proving an Intent to Distribute in Drug Cases

* Deputy Punches & Tasers Hephzibah Drug Suspect

* Circle K Manager Takes Night Deposit & ATM Money in Augusta

* Internet Fraud Reported in Merriwether

* Martinez Dad Recorded Dog Humping His Son, 10

* Steak ‘n Shake Manager Steals $42,000 from Business

* Dumb Crooks USA

* Match the Convict to the Crime Game

* Jokes

* Fun with Captions

* Word Search

* And More!

Georgia-Carolina Bail Bonds is offering a $200 Cash Reward for a verified location or information leading to the arrest of Monique Jennings.

Jennings, 33, has allegedly jumped bail on a pending charge of breach of trust. She is 5 feet, 1 inch tall with two last known addresses of 641 Aldrich Street, Aiken, or 3513 Andover Drive, Hephzibah.

Have any information? Please call Ed Wilson with Georgia-Carolina Bail Bonds at 803-649-1013 or 803-349-6106.

Do not try to apprehend!

- – - SPONSORED NEWS ARTICLE – - -

A Waynesboro man has been charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty for allegedly letting his hunting dogs starve to death.

Stephen Matthew Crooms, 27, was arrested last week and charged with 10 counts of animal cruelty, authorities said.

The carcasses of five dead dogs were found on a Highway 56 farm that was being sold by the man’s family. The discovery reportedly came during an inspection of the barn.

According to media reports, the animals had tried to escape by digging out but were unable to and eventually starved to death. Burke County Sheriff’s Investigator Gene Boseman told the True Citizen newspaper that it was like a “scene from the Holocaust.”

Authorities say Crooms denied the dogs belonged to him, but collars with his name and telephone number were on the carcasses.

As the investigation continued, officers found a dead dog outside Crooms’ trailer and four living dogs without food or water. With temperatures in the teens, the pets were left in the cold without shelter, authorities said.

Family members of Crooms have taken over care of the four living dogs.

Crooms is the same man accused in 2009 of posing as a funeral home employee to collect identity information from at least five job seekers. There was no evidence that Crooms used the personal information for fraudulent means but Georgia law allows charges for the theft of identity information.

The Aiken Department Public Safety responded to Sunoco Gas Station, 1100 York Street, in reference to an Armed Robbery on Wednesday at 2:58 a.m.

Two black males entered the store; one was armed with a handgun. As they approached the clerk, two additional black males entered the store. One of the males began to go around the counter, and the clerk was able to hit the panic button. This caused the four individuals to begin to flee the incident location. As they began to leave the gunman fired a single shot at the clerk; the shot missed the clerk and went through the side window of the business, police said.

The four individuals then fled the incident location on foot in the direction of Crosland Park neighborhood. A search of the area was unsuccessful in locating the individuals.

Pictures attached of the suspects may reveal their identity based upon the clothing they were wearing.

Anyone with information related to the robbery or the identity of the subjects is asked to contact Crimestoppers of the Midlands at 888-CRIME-SC (888-274-6372). Callers will remain anonymous and could be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1000.

WJBF-TV’s Michael Miller accepted a plea Tuesday to have a disorderly conduct charge against him dismissed.

Miller was charged last month at The Country Club for being drunk and grabbing a deputy’s Taser. In court, he entered a plea of nolo contendere which can may be entered in place of a plea of guilty or not guilty. He agreed to pay $100 and undergo 60 days of unsupervised probation. The case should be dismissed in 60 days.

“I made a mistake,” he said in a statement. “That night does not represent the deep respect that I have for the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, WJBF, and this community. I have apologized to the sheriff and to everyone involved. That night, I never intentionally grabbed the deputy’s taser. I thank everyone for their support and I look forward to continuing to bring the news to this community.”

The deputy’s report says that Miller was highly intoxicated and refused to leave the club when asked. So a deputy escorted him out.

While trying to help Miller maintain his balance, the deputy felt a tug on his belt, authorities said. During a physical encounter, Miller spun around and fell into the wall and then fell onto the ground.

Miller has been allowed to keep his job at the TV station. He suffered injuries in the club incident and remained off the air until his injuries healed.