WGAC’s Austin Rhodes was struck by a drunk driver Thursday night, suffering only minor injuries in the two-vehicle wreck on Washington Road near the Evans Walmart.

Steven Joseph Grycel, 58, of Evans (pictured), was arrested at the scene and charged with DUI and failure to yield in the accident.

Rhodes, who hosts an afternoon radio show, posted about the accident on his Facebook page, crediting his seat belt with saving his life:

“Heading home from dinner a drunk driver pulled out in front of me on Washington Rd. I hit the rear quarter of his car, I was going about 35-40 mph. Seat belt caught me, but my forearm hit the wheel hard enough to let me know that had I NOT been wearing it…it would not have been pretty.”

According to an accident report, Rhodes was traveling west on Washington Road in a 2013 Nissan Frontier when Glycol’s eastbound 2006  Chevrolet Malibu turned in front of Rhodes.

Authorities determined Grycel was impaired from alcohol and arrested him. He has since been bonded out of jail.

Asked about the wreck, Rhodes told The Jail Report, “A stiff neck and a headache this morning…no fun to be sure, but it beats the hell out of a trip to the GBI autopsy center in the back of Vernon Collins’ hearse.  And wouldn’t you know the alleged drunk driver has Progressive Insurance, how is that for irony?  They better take care of business or I am gonna go all TRUMP on Flo.”

He added, “Seat belts save lives!”

The accident is not keeping Rhodes off his radio show Friday. His show airs from 3-6 p.m. weekdays on 580 AM and 95.1 FM.

The post WGAC’s Austin Rhodes Hit by Drunk Driver appeared first on AugustaCrime.com - Richmond, Columbia, and Aiken County Jail - Reports & Mugshots.

An Augusta boy was hospitalized Thursday for a sexual assault he claims happened while visiting a male teen he met over a social app.

The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the sex crime since the incident allegedly happened in their jurisdiction.

The 16-year-old boy told authorities that he met the suspect through a social app online and they agreed to meet Wednesday at a location in Columbia County.

“He went and met the guy and they began kissing, and I guess the one party wanted to do more,” said sheriff’s Capt. Sharif Chochol. “He is alleging that he was essentially raped.”

The boy ended up at University Hospital on Thursday, where authorities were called. Investigators met with the teen’s father, who said his son had requested to go to the hospital after an assault.

The teen then requested to speak with investigators privately and his father left the room. The victim then revealed that the other teen had anally raped him.

An assault kit was completed by medical staff, and Capt. Chochol said the investigation is continuing.

The rape report comes as new statistics from the U.S. Department of Justice show the increasing frequency of technology in sex crimes against juveniles. In fact, a survey of juvenile victims of Internet-initiated sex crimes, the majority met the predator willingly face-to-face and 93% of those encounters had included sexual contact.

Also, the most common first encounter of a predator with an Internet-initiated sex crimes victim took place in an online chat room (76%), according to federal statistics. And 1 in 25 youths received an online sexual solicitation in which the solicitor tried to make offline contact.

If you’re a crime victim, here are some resources:

• National Center for Victims of Crime
  By phone: (800) 394-2255. Toll-free helpline offers supportive counseling, practical information about crime and victimization, and referrals to local community resources, as well as skilled advocacy in the criminal justice and social service systems.
• Darkness to Light
  By phone: (866) 367-5444. Toll-free helpline for individuals living in the United States who need local information and resources about sexual abuse.
• Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network
  By phone: (800) 656-4673. Toll-free National Sexual Assault Hotline.
  Online: http://www.rainn.org/get-help/national-sexual-assault-online-hotline Instant-messaging format National Sexual Assault Hotline.
  Both hotlines are free and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and offer secure, anonymous, confidential crisis support for victims of sexual assault and their friends and families.

The post Augusta Boy, 16, Claims Rape During First Meet-up with Stranger appeared first on AugustaCrime.com - Richmond, Columbia, and Aiken County Jail - Reports & Mugshots.

A 2-year-old started a fire Saturday in his Augusta home after he, his 9-year-old brother and 4-year-old sister were left alone while their mother was at work.

The oldest child told a Richmond County Sheriff’s deputy that he was asleep when the fire broke out, but his sister woke him up and he was able to put it out.

Dispatch received a call just before noon advising them that three children were alone at their Blum Street residence and they were either playing with fire or smoking. When deputies arrived, all three were in an upstairs bedroom looking out the window.

The 9-year-old said his mother would be home at 4 p.m. Deputies waited for Jameka Bennett, who said that a neighbor was supposed to be keeping an eye on them but the woman was not home when the fire started. Deputies discovered that the neighbor lived more than three buildings away.

Bennett, 24, of the 500 block of Blum Street, was arrested and charged with three counts of deprivation of a minor, a report said.

The post Augusta Toddler Starts Fire While Home Alone with Siblings appeared first on AugustaCrime.com - Richmond, Columbia, and Aiken County Jail - Reports & Mugshots.

An Augusta teen faked a home invasion at his grandfather’s home Sunday to hide his theft of two TVs and a tablet, according to authorities.

Taylor Peel called 911 over the weekend, telling dispatchers that he had just been tied up and robbed at his grandfather’s home on Bridgewater Drive in Augusta, a sheriff’s report says. When deputies arrived, the 19 year old had electrical tape around his ankles, wrists, and neck from the “home invasion.”

“Peel stated that unknown persons wearing ski masks and gloves entered the residence of his grandfather, John Minick, who was out of town and had given Peel permission to stay while he was gone,” a sheriff’s report said.

The teen said the masked burglars took a $3,500 Sony TV, a smaller $350 Samsung TV and a $400 Samsung tablet. The same teen was staying at his grandfather’s home on Feb. 12 when he also reported a burglary occurred there with theft of several items.

But as officers began to further investigate the break-ins and the claim that he was tied up, Peel’s story started to unravel. He later confessed that the claims were all lies. Peel said he actually sold the items to buy illegal drugs, a report says.

Peel was charged with two counts each of theft by taking and false report of a crime. He remained Tuesday night in the Richmond County Detention Center.

Editor’s Note: Peel is the same man featured in The Jail Report last week for allegedly stealing Magic playing cards from the North Augusta Walmart. Peel called our office last Thursday and claimed he was trying to return the cards when he was arrested. He said he was thinking about stealing them to sell and pay a debt. Peel said he would send an email telling his side of the story. He never did.    Before the call ended, Peel asked for a job with The Jail Report. We turned him down.

The post Augusta Teen Fakes Home Invasion by ‘Masked Men’ appeared first on AugustaCrime.com - Richmond, Columbia, and Aiken County Jail - Reports & Mugshots.

A Hephzibah man was shot to death Tuesday night at Georgian Place apartment complex in Augusta, authorities said.

DeShaun Johnson (pictured) was shot at least once on the 1700 block of Valley Park West, and he was pronounced dead at the scene at 8:03 p.m. Tuesday, Coroner Mark Bowen said. The victim is 22 years old and has a listed residence on Salamanca Drive in Hephzibah.

The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office released this statement:

“The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office received a call to the 1700Blk. of Valley Park Court in reference to shots being fired and one subject struck. During the Course of the investigation it was learned that Deshaun Johnson (22yoa B/M 2500Blk. of Salamander Drive Hephzibah, GA) was shot and succumbed to his injuries at the scene. It was also learned that Kevin Leslie (pictured – 33yoa B/M 1700Blk. of Valley Park Court) had also been shot and fled the scene to Heritage Square Apartments where he was transported to Augusta University Medical Center for treatment for a gunshot wound to his upper left chest and is in critical condition at this time. This case is still under investigation and charges are pending. Further information will be released when available.”

The post Hephzibah Man Killed in Shooting; Another Victim Injured appeared first on AugustaCrime.com - Richmond, Columbia, and Aiken County Jail - Reports & Mugshots.

An argument between two women last week at a Knox Avenue gas station led public safety officers to a disturbing discovery.

A baby was on the floor of the van partially under the front passenger seat. The child was only wearing a diaper and it was so full of excrement, the tape on one side was unfastened, a North Augusta Department of Public Safety report said.

(This is one of many stories in this week’s Jail Report. Pick up your copy at local gas stations for $1.50.)

The child’s mother, Shadasha Mann, 23, was in the van with a friend March 9 and the two got into it while they were in the parking lot of the Murphy Station. The argument was so heated the store clerk called 911 and a public safety officer arrived as they were leaving, the report said.

It seems the Mann was angry because her daughter was chewing on a dog bone. The officer saw the driver’s children and then found Mann’s daughter on the floor, partially covered in papers with roaches crawling on her, the report said.

Mann told the officer she was “done” and they were on their way to the Department of Family and Children Services in Richmond County to surrender the child. Her other two children are already in state custody. The Department of Social Services was called and took the child into emergency protective custody, the report said.

While they waited for DSS, the officers had to tell Mann to put a clean diaper on the child. They had been at the location for nearly an hour and the baby still was on the floor, the report said.

Mann, of the 1800 block of Maryland Avenue, Augusta, was arrested and charged with unlawful neglect of a child. The driver also was cited for driving without child restraints. Her mother, who had car seats, picked up the children, the report said.

The post N. Augusta Cops Find Baby in Van with Roaches; Chewing Dog Bone appeared first on AugustaCrime.com - Richmond, Columbia, and Aiken County Jail - Reports & Mugshots.

A Popeye’s employee got into an argument with a customer Saturday at the Martinez restaurant and had to be restrained from pouring hot grease on them, according to a sheriff’s report.

  (This is one of many stories in this week’s Jail Report. Pick up your copy today in local gas stations.)

The Popeye’s customer told deputies that she didn’t want criminal charges. She just wanted some discipline of the employee by the restaurant.  In fact, the customer didn’t provide her name to the deputy and left.

But Popeye’s manager Alexander Howard told a responding deputy what happened.  In an interview with The Jail Report, Howard repeated the details:

The customer seemed impatient with the time it took to get the Family meal that she ordered. The manager thinks that the customer jumped up on the counter during an argument with the employee, an incident captured on store surveillance. Soon, the manager heard arguing and took control of the order.

After packing the order and giving it to the customer, the employee, identified in a report as Quintrella Thompson, returned from the kitchen with a pot of hot grease.

“She was going to pour it on the customer,” Howard said. “So we’re playing tug of war behind the counter. I couldn’t let her pour no hot grease on no customer.”

The customer left but not before talking briefly to a sheriff’s deputy who had been called to the restaurant.

Howard said an area district manager fired Thompson later in the day, but he was unsure about whether his bosses planned to pursue criminal charges against the employee.

“We are not supposed to argue with the customer,” Howard said.

The post Popeye’s Worker Threatens to Pour Hot Grease on Customer appeared first on AugustaCrime.com - Richmond, Columbia, and Aiken County Jail - Reports & Mugshots.

A Hephzibah teen died Sunday from injuries suffered when he was stabbed two days before during a big fight on Chaps Lane, authorities said.

Demajhay Bell, 18 (pictured), died at 10:37 a.m. Sunday at Augusta University Medical Center, according to Richmond County Coroner Mark Bowen.

The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office is not releasing any information on the crime or possible suspects, telling reporters to check back Monday.

WRDW-TV reported that a large group had gathered to fight at 2206 Chaps Lane on Friday afternoon and deputies discovered that Bell had been stabbed in the neck. He tried to drive himself to the hospital and was found on Morgan Road. He remained in critical condition until his death Sunday.

Authorities told the TV station that another victim, Demetrion Harris, was also struck several times on the left arm with a baseball bat and was taken by ambulance to the hospital.

Friends and family have already begin mourning Bell on Facebook. Some comments:

• Jammer Bingham: “Today was a rough day. The Augusta Strike Force family lost a brother,son,and friend. Despite the obvious, they still stuck it out in a battle down to the wire. We lost but Demajhay Bell your brothers represented well for you my brother. Young man you are already missed and loved by so many. I’ve known u a very short time but it feels like 4ever. Until we meet again young man!”
• Cierra Cross: “R.I.P. Demajhay , I’ll never forget them Spirit Creek days! Fly high baby boy.”
• Regina Wright: “I was just telling Jasmin Lewis if Demajhay … would of play basketball at Hephzibah they would have put Hephzibah boys on the map. #RIP #DEMAJHAY”

Note: If you have a memory or photo of Demajhay that you want to share, text it to 803-487-3224 or email it to publisher@thejailreport.com

The post Hephzibah Teen Dies from Friday Stabbing; No Info from RCSO appeared first on AugustaCrime.com - Richmond, Columbia, and Aiken County Jail - Reports & Mugshots.

A Family Dollar manager was charged last week with swiping five deposits from the Hephzibah store, stuffing thousands down his pants and taking it home instead of the bank.

Terrell Donte Blackwell, 29, of Thomas Lane, Augusta, was charged Thursday with felony theft by taking and remained in the Richmond County Jail on Monday.

A sales specialist came into the Family Dollar store last May to investigate a cash deposit that was missing for $448. She soon discovered missing deposits for the four previous days, totaling $10,900, according to a sheriff’s report.

The specialist called Wells Fargo and learned that the deposits had not been made into the Family Dollar account. Blackwell’s name was on the deposit log sheet as the person who took possession of the money.

Oddly enough, it seems Blackwell knew he was caught when the sales specialist first told him she was going to the bank. When she returned to the Family Dollar store (2809 Tobacco Road, Hephzibah), Blackwell was gone. The next day, the manager’s friends dropped off the store keys that Blackwell had been issued.

Store video shows the manager “counting the money and putting it in a plastic bag,” according to a sheriff’s report. “(Blackwell) puts what appears to be plastic deposit bags with money into another plastic bag, roll it up and then stuff it down the front of his pants and leave the store,” the report says.

The store asked to prosecute and warrants were issued, leading to Blackwell’s arrest last week.

The post In Hephzibah: Family Dollar Manager Swipes $10K in Deposits appeared first on AugustaCrime.com - Richmond, Columbia, and Aiken County Jail - Reports & Mugshots.

A Hephzibah fight that led to the stabbing death of a local teen started at Glenn Hills High School, according to new information released Monday.

In addition, three women have been charged with aggravated assault for allegedly using baseball bats in the violent brawl: Quiasha Henley, 18 (top photo, from left), Quiauna Henley, 35, and A’lexis Cain, 18. They are accused of shattering the left arm of Demetrius Harris. All three women remained in jail Monday.

Two other suspects are wanted in the assault, but they have not been arrested.

No one has been charged with the death of 18-year-old Demajhay Bell, who was stabbed in the neck and died Sunday at the hospital.

According to a sheriff’s report, around 2 p.m. Friday, dozens of people came to 2206 Chaps Lane in Hephzibah to fight a 15-year-old girl who lived there. The crowd brought bats, knives, pipes and other weapons.

A large fight broke out and as a result, the girl’s mother, Eyvette Byrd, was struck on the left arm with a baseball bat. The woman’s son, Demetrius Harris, was also struck with a bat, which might have fractured. He was rushed to Augusta University Medical Center for treatment.

Bell, the teen who later died, was stabbed in the throat during the brawl. Byrd began to take him to the hospital, but another altercation broke out, leading her to stop a stop sign in the subdivision. The teen took the car himself and attempted to make it to the hospital, but he pulled over when he saw a Richmond County Marshall unit sitting at Morgan Road and Dean’s Bridge Road.

“He exited his own vehicle, and got into the car with the Marshall, who called for EMS and Gold Cross unit 27 arrived to transport Mr. Bell to the hospital,” a sheriff’s report says.

The altercation was broken up and all suspects had fled the scene prior to any officers arriving, the report says.

Byrd’s teenage daughter told deputies that the entire fight was the result of an ongoing dispute at Glenn Hills High School.

The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office has not released any statement on a possible suspect in the murder of Bell (pictured).

A friend of Quiauna Henley posted this Sunday on Quiauna’s Facebook page:
“Prayers for my family, my sis Quiauna Henley, and niece Qui Henley, and also prayers for the boy’s family. Prayer is needed all around in any situation dealing with death. It shouldn’t be a blame game at this point because in reality, no one should ever meet up to fight.”

The post Friday’s Deadly Fight Started at Glenn Hills High; 3 Charged appeared first on AugustaCrime.com - Richmond, Columbia, and Aiken County Jail - Reports & Mugshots.

A Richmond County inmate hung himself in a locked cell Monday afternoon, sparking a routine GBI investigation into the death, authorities said.

George Anderson Lee III, 24, of Augusta (pictured) was discovered dead about 5:20 p.m. Monday from an apparent hanging, sheriff’s Lt. Allan Rollins said in a press release. Deputies and medical staff tried to resuscitate him and EMTs were called to the jail. He was pronounced dead at the jail.

Following procedure, the sheriff’s office called in the GBI to conduct an independent investigation.

Background on arrest. Lee has been in jail since last August after his arrest for battery. He was accused of stabbing his father in the chest with a butcher knife during an argument about the younger man’s attitude.

Deputies who responded to the stabbing were met by the father who said his son had stabbed him in his left side. He said Lee was still in the house and still had the knife.

Inside the house, Lee was ordered to show his hands. Instead, he tried to grab something out of his pockets, authorities said. He was taken to the ground and a 12-inch butcher knife and an orange pocket knife were found in his front left pants’ pocket. Lee’s right hand was covered in blood and he had sliced three of his fingers.

Lee’s father said the two argued and his son bit him in the back twice. The father got away from him but then Lee grabbed the butcher knife and stabbed him. The father was treated on the scene and later went to Trinity Hospital.

Lee was taken to University Hospital with a deputy riding along in the ambulance because he was so combative. He was treated for the cuts and then taken to jail.

Editor’s Note: If you have a better picture of George Lee III, please text it to 803-487-3224 or email it to publisher@thejailreport.com

The post Augusta Inmate Hangs Himself in Jail; GBI is Investigating appeared first on AugustaCrime.com - Richmond, Columbia, and Aiken County Jail - Reports & Mugshots.

Eight have been arrested for murder and two others are being sought in connection with Friday’s deadly fight on Chaps Lane in south Augusta.

A three-minute video that a witness recorded has been very helpful to investigators looking for those to blame for the street brawl that led to the stabbing death of 18-year-old Demajay Bell.

“During the course of the investigation, investigators learned that a large group had arrived at the residence on Chaps Lane in order for two females to fight over a pre-existing dispute,” sheriff’s Lt. Allan Rollins said in a press release. “Once the two groups confronted each other in the street, a fight started and several acts of Aggravated Assault occurred, to include the act which led to the death of Demajay Bell.”

Based on the investigation the following persons have been charged and arrested with the offenses of Aggravated Assault and Murder:

• Quiauna Henley (35) of Chukar Ct, Hephzibah
• Quiasha Henley (18) of Chukar Ct, Hephzibah
• A’Lexis Cain (18) of Green Forest Drive, Hephzibah
• Tyteanna Thomas (18) of East Kensington Drive, Augusta
• Raheem Jobes (19) of Westfield Drive, Augusta
• Myah Dunbar (18) of Portsmouth Place, Hephzibah
• Eyvette Lashawn Byrd (39) of Chaps Lane, Hephzibah
• Demetrius Lamont Harris Jr (21) of Chaps Lane, Hephzibah

Warrants have been issued and the following persons are being sought:

• Eddie Doneal Carter III (18) formerly of Wharton Drive, Augusta
• Terry Lee Daniels (19) of Amsterdam Drive, Augusta

The eight already captured,  as well as Eddie Carter, are pictured above. There is no photo available for Terry Lee Daniels.

“This is still an active investigation and additional arrests may be forthcoming,” Lt. Rollins said.

Background. According to a sheriff’s report, around 2 p.m. Friday, dozens of people came to 2206 Chaps Lane in Hephzibah to fight a 15-year-old girl who lived there. The crowd brought bats, knives, pipes and other weapons.

A large fight broke out and as a result, the girl’s mother, Eyvette Byrd, was struck on the left arm with a baseball bat. The woman’s son, Demetrius Harris, was also struck with a bat, which might have fractured. He was rushed to Augusta University Medical Center for treatment.

Bell, the teen who later died, was stabbed in the throat during the brawl. Byrd began to take him to the hospital, but another altercation broke out, leading her to stop a stop sign in the subdivision. The teen (pictured below) took the car himself and attempted to make it to the hospital, but he pulled over when he saw a Richmond County Marshall unit sitting at Morgan Road and Dean’s Bridge Road.

“He exited his own vehicle, and got into the car with the Marshall, who called for EMS and Gold Cross unit 27 arrived to transport Mr. Bell to the hospital,” a sheriff’s report says.

The altercation was broken up and all suspects had fled the scene prior to any officers arriving, the report says.

Byrd’s teenage daughter told deputies that the entire fight was the result of an ongoing dispute at Glenn Hills High School.

The post 10 Charged with Murder in Deadly Hephzibah Fight appeared first on AugustaCrime.com - Richmond, Columbia, and Aiken County Jail - Reports & Mugshots.

Video footage shows the senseless Hephzibah street fight on March 18 that ended in the stabbing death of 18-year-old Demajhay Bell.

Video is available by clicking here: https://youtu.be/dkDyM7nKvH4 .

Warning: Some of the video is disturbing.

The three-minute video that a witness recorded has been very helpful to investigators looking for those to blame for the street brawl that led to the stabbing death of 18-year-old Demajay Bell.

Based on the investigation the following persons have been charged and arrested with the offenses of Aggravated Assault and Murder:

• Quiauna Henley (35) of Chukar Ct, Hephzibah
• Quiasha Henley (18) of Chukar Ct, Hephzibah
• A’Lexis Cain (18) of Green Forest Drive, Hephzibah
• Tyteanna Thomas (18) of East Kensington Drive, Augusta
• Raheem Jobes (19) of Westfield Drive, Augusta
• Myah Dunbar (18) of Portsmouth Place, Hephzibah
• Eyvette Lashawn Byrd (39) of Chaps Lane, Hephzibah
• Demetrius Lamont Harris Jr (21) of Chaps Lane, Hephzibah

Warrants have been issued and the following persons are being sought:

• Eddie Doneal Carter III (18) formerly of Wharton Drive, Augusta
• Terry Lee Daniels (19) of Amsterdam Drive, Augusta

Image of suspects above shows everyone listed here except Terry Lee Daniels.

For more information on local crime, pick up this week’s edition of The Jail Report, sold in local stores.

The post Video: Raw Footage of Deadly Street Fight in Hephzibah appeared first on AugustaCrime.com - Richmond, Columbia, and Aiken County Jail - Reports & Mugshots.

By filing murder charges against everyone who participated in Friday’s deadly fight in Hephzibah, Sheriff Richard Roundtree said he is sending a strong message to the community.

“This will not be tolerated,” he said. “Every person that was actively involved in this incident is going to be charged with felony murder. … We have got to say that this is not acceptable.”

The sheriff consulted with District Attorney Ashley Wight and told her he wanted to pursue murder charges against everyone who gathered for Friday’s street fight on Chaps Lane. That fight ended with the stabbing death of 18-year-old Demajhay Bell.

“I think this is the decision of a senseless murder. I abhor all murders, but this murder was certainly avoidable,” he said.

What really bothered the sheriff was that some parents drove their teenage children to the fight to participate. “That says that something is wrong in our society and our culture,” he said.

The disagreement that led to the fight started over two girls and a boy, escalating to the point officials at Glenn Hills High School got involved. It was handled through a school tribunal hearing. Sheriff Roundtree said the matter should have ended there. Instead, it escalated into something that drew more than 30 people to Chaps Lane, armed with metal baseball bats, knives and pipes.

And there were parents who drive them there. “There had to be a conversation on the way over there. I just wonder what that conversation was,” he said.

So far, eight of 10 people being sought on murder charges have been arrested. Sheriff Roundtree said the reaction from those who participated in the fight and are now charged in Bell’s death was varied.

“It varied from tears, to people falling out, to silence. Stares on the face. That is the reality. I think the real reality would have been the day they got booked into the jail and the cell closing for the first time and you are in there as a violent inmate,” he said.

The three-minute video recorded by a witness was a big help, the sheriff said.

“The video was turned over to us by a witness. The video was helpful in that it contradicted what people were saying. Many people minimized their role. They said they came to break up the fight, but it showed that they came to participate,” he said.

The sheriff said he is amazed a gun was not produced. Had there been a gun, the story could have been worse.

“That could have been a national news story,” he said.

Previous Story: 

10 Charged with Murder in Deadly Hephzibah Fight

Video of street fight and murder is available by clicking here: https://youtu.be/dkDyM7nKvH4 . Warning: Some of the video is disturbing.

The post Roundtree on Deadly Fight: ‘Something is Wrong in Our Society’ appeared first on AugustaCrime.com - Richmond, Columbia, and Aiken County Jail - Reports & Mugshots.

To begin with, he’s 17.

Not everyone understands that a 17-year-old boy is considered an adult in the eyes of the law, and he is taken to the jail with all the other adults, not juvenile facilities.

In this case, many of our readers say that Christopher Snodgrass looks like a boy. But he happens to look very young for his age and stands 4’11” tall, weighing 100 pounds.

“How old is this child and isnt it illegal to post pictures of juveniles?????” said Cathy Rose on her Facebook page.

“We seen him working at McDonald’s on #1 and asked him how old he was. And he said old enough to work.. Bahahahaha.. I liked him tho. Seemed like a cool kid,” said Serena Tyler.

Many readers wanted to know what he did to get arrested. We obtained the incident report.

According to Aiken police, the young man assaulted a younger boy during lunchtime at Aiken High School on Monday. In fact, the 14-year-old victim said Snodgrass punched him in the face.

“You wanted a second round,” Snodgrass reportedly told the victim.

Two witnesses said Snodgrass punched the kid for no reason, unprovoked. And the victim’s father told police he wanted to press charges.

Despite statements from the victim and witnesses, Snodgrass denied hitting the boy. But he was arrested, handcuffed and taken to the Aiken County Detention Center.

Snodgrass, of the 400 block of Reedy Ford Road, Aiken, has a court date on April 13th.

For more crime news, pick up this week’s edition of The Jail Report, sold in local convenience stores.

The post The Reason We Ran This Mugshot in Our Paper appeared first on AugustaCrime.com - Richmond, Columbia, and Aiken County Jail - Reports & Mugshots.

Ten people are charged with murder in the stabbing death of Demajhay Bell after an Hephzibah street fight, but only this man was holding the knife that actually killed the teenage victim, authorities say.

Demetrius Lamont Harris just celebrated his 21st birthday last month, but he didn’t grow up much. This criminal has been causing problems for Richmond County since he was a young boy. (That’s him in a collection of five RCSO mugshots.)

At age 17, Demetrius was caught hanging out in front of Pinnacle Place Apartments in Hephzibah with a .380-caliber pistol sticking out of his jacket pocket. After he was arrested on two weapons charges, prosecutors dropped one of them in return for his guilty plea on the other. Judge Patricia W. Booker slapped him on the wrist with a year of probation and 40 hours of community service.

The judge was nice, too. Because even while Demetrius was awaiting trial on those weapons charges, he was getting in more trouble. A month after he was found with the pistol, he got arrested again for interfering with a sheriff’s deputy, giving him his second mugshot as a teenager.

A year later, he got picked up on a grand jury arrest warrant and a Superior Court bench warrant, both felonies. Nothing ever became of those, from what we can tell. In 2015, he was back in jail again on a magistrate court bench warrant.

And then came last Friday. Demetrius armed himself with a knife on Chaps Lane in south Augusta as a fight between his 15-year-old sister and another young couple escalated into a deadly street fight, authorities say. A witness video shows Harris throwing the knife around as baseball bats come flying near him and a car jumps the curb into the yard.

After Demetrius allegedly slices open the neck of Bell (who is pictured here), he took a baseball bat to the left arm,  which shattered his arm and sent him to the hospital in excruciating pain.

Demetrius was eventually arrested for murder in the death when Bell died two days later. Demetrius has company in jail, though. Authorities have arrested 10 people for participating in the senseless fight.

Perhaps, if Demetrius had learned his lesson as a teenager, he could have done the right thing and called law enforcement. What do you think?

Previous Story: 

10 Charged with Murder in Deadly Hephzibah Fight

Video of street fight and murder is available by clicking here: https://youtu.be/dkDyM7nKvH4 . Warning: Some of the video is disturbing.

The post Man with the Knife: The Real Killer in Hephzibah’s Street Fight appeared first on AugustaCrime.com - Richmond, Columbia, and Aiken County Jail - Reports & Mugshots.

A Donald Trump hater was arrested last week for stealing the candidate’s signs from a Grovetown property, an incident caught on video from a traffic camera, authorities said.

Nathan Ucab, 22, of Sweet Meadow Court, Grovetown, was stopped nearby and confessed that he “does not like Donald Trump and decided to remove the signs,” according to a sheriff’s report. He was charged with theft by taking.

Columbia County dispatchers were investigating a burglary call last Wednesday afternoon and were looking at traffic cameras at Columbia and Lewiston roads. A dispatcher saw the driver of a tan Nissan Altima pull over, get out and then cross Columbia Road.

“He then began removing Donald Trump campaign signs,” the sheriff’s report says. “After removing three signs, he continued westbound.”

Deputies found Ucab’s car and pulled him over. The signs were recovered and returned to their original location.

A deputy called local Republican Party representative Pat Goodwin, who consulted with the Trump’s Georgia headquarters before asking to press charges against the man.

Goodwin told The Jail Report that she first made sure the suspect was not a teenager who could be overlooked. She was told the suspect was older.

“Those signs cost,” she said. “For someone to go around and take them down and destroy  them because they don’t like the individual, that is wrong. We have freedom of speech.”

Ironically, the sign thief is not a registered voter and didn’t vote in the primary. Ucab, a Texas native, told The Jail Report that he WILL register if Trump becomes the nominee. He defended his theft of the Trump signs as his way to keep the billionaire from winning.

“Since I missed the registration period for the primaries, I felt like that was the least I could do. Make a statement. That Trump is literal trash,” Ucab told us in a Facebook message. (He is pictured here in a 2014 Facebook image.)

The suspect used to attend Augusta University as a psychology student but does not anymore, instead working at the Grovetown GameStop store. He said he will do everything he can to make sure Trump does not win.

“Trump is an overtly racist, sexist, ignorant pig who brings out the worst in people, and I can not abide by him gaining support,” Ucab said. “I can not abide him being president.”

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A man attacked his mother and his brother after he became convinced that his brother had urinated on his toothbrush.

   (This is one of many crazy crime stories in this week’s Jail Report. Pick up your copy today in local gas stations for $1.50.)

Fernandez Jones, 20 of the 3000 block of Libby Drive, Augusta, was arrested last Tuesday and charged with simple battery family violence, a Richmond County Sheriff’s report said.

Jones began complaining last Tuesday that his toothbrush smelled of urine and he told his mother he was sure his brother was behind  it. He quickly became irrational and grabbed his mother by her face and then her throat.

The mother called out to her other son for help, but Jones punched him in the face repeatedly. The mother ran into her bedroom and shut the door but Jones kicked it in.

When deputies talked to Jones, he talked “continuously” about the wires in his house that were being used to spy on him, the report said.

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Producers with the prison series “Orange is the New Black” have announced plans to film part of their episodes at the Augusta Detention Center this fall.

John Marshall, executive producer of the Netflix series, said Augusta’s jail provided the perfect backdrop for the series, which tells the story of Piper Chapman, a woman in her thirties who is sentenced to fifteen months in prison after being convicted of transporting money to her drug-dealing girlfriend.

“We were impressed with the openness of the facility. Plus, the jail staff was open to moving inmates around for the filming schedule,” Marshall said in a press release. “We also expect to use current women from the jail as extras in the filming.”

In return for the filming at the jail, Netflix has agreed to cater meals for the entire inmate population during the four-week filming schedule.

This is not the first time Augusta has been featured on a national TV show. COPS was filmed in the area two years ago, and the sheriff was featured on a recent episode of Southern Fried Homicide, which told the story of serial killer Reinaldo Rivera.

Read next week’s issue of The Jail Report for more information on “Orange is the New Black,” including the dates of the filming and your opportunity to participate and meet the cast…

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