A flood of fentanyl: How Augusta is responding

Published

5 months ago

July 8, 2025

A flood of fentanyl: How Augusta is responding

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – One of the most dangerous drugs continues to poison our area, stealing lives and destroying families.

In the month of June alone, investigators say they took nearly 60 pounds of drugs off the streets, including eight pounds of fentanyl.

In 2021, deputies recovered five pounds of fentanyl in the county–a number that’s grown by the year, with seven pounds in 2022 and 16 in 2023.

We are still waiting on recent data for 2024 and 2025, but the numbers we have support what law enforcement tells us – it’s not the first time they’ve seized fentanyl, and it will not be the last.

“It’s flooded,” said Investigator Erik Williams, Richmond County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit. “Every street drug known has fentanyl in it now.”

During a drug bust last month, deputies say they seized enough fentanyl to potentially kill nearly 330,000 people — which is enough to endanger the entire population of Richmond County.

“Frightening as this is, you can get your cell phone and you can say how to buy fentanyl, and Chinese companies will come up. You can have it delivered to your house,” said Williams.

Williams says it’s a challenging substance to control.

“We start concentrating on the pills, then they come out with the powder. So now we gotta combat that. Now they have a liquid, so it’s constantly changing.”

He says even the smallest information can help execute busts like the ones we have seen in recent weeks.

For those struggling with fentanyl addiction, there are also options. Georgia Overdose Prevention is in Harrisburg every Tuesday.

Dolly Neese tells us she once needed those options.

“I was a homeless IV drug user, and I was out here in this very neighborhood, actually,” said Dolly Neese, harm reduction advocate for Georgia Overdose Prevention.

Now, you can find her in that same neighborhood, handing out Narcan, fentanyl test strips and narcan training.

Neese offers knowledge that not everyone has, so she’s here, reaching those on the path she once walked.

“We want to be that bridge for people who want to make changes or maybe want to make changes in the future, so that they do have those resources when they’re ready,” said Neese.

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Richmond County deputies searching for suspect after armed robbery on Wheeler Road

Published

38 minutes ago

December 14, 2025

Press Room

Richmond County deputies searching for suspect after armed robbery on Wheeler Road

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Richmond County started a search for an armed robbery suspect Saturday evening.

They started the search on the 3700 block of Wheeler Road after an alleged armed robbery at an SRP ATM.

The suspect is described as a 40-year-old black male, wearing all black, a face mask and a camouflage jacket.

The suspect fled the area on foot in an unknown direction.

The sheriff’s office used K9 Units, along with the drone unit, to search.

This investigation is in its early stages, and no further information is available at this time.

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Aerospace program milestone reached at Thompson Farm in Augusta

Published

13 hours ago

December 13, 2025

Press Room

Aerospace program milestone reached at Thompson Farm in Augusta

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Students at Richmond County Technical Magnet School achieved a milestone by launching their 500th non-kit rocket.

Students launched rockets at Thompson Farm in Augusta. The launch is part of the school’s aerospace program that has been part of their STEM curriculum since 2014.

The Augusta Fire Department collaborated with the group for the launch.

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Savannah woman attacked with acid, recovering at Augusta burn center

Published

1 day ago

December 13, 2025

Press Room

Savannah woman attacked with acid, recovering at Augusta burn center

SAVANNAH, Ga. – A woman is recovering in Augusta after being attacked with acid earlier this week in Savannah.

Around 8:16 p.m. Wednesday, she was walking around Forsyth Park and a man hiding in the shadows near Whitaker Street suddenly came out and attacked her with an unknown chemical.

The liquid melted through her clothing and headphones.

The victim has been identified as Ashley Wasielewski, of Savannah, according to sources close to her family.

First responders located and treated the victim on scene before transferring her to a local hospital. Wasielewski has now been transferred to a regional burn center for advanced treatment. Sources close to the family said the burn center is in Augusta.

Sources close to the family said Wasielewski is stable after suffering second-degree burns.

Photos of the victim before and after an acid attack in Forsyth Park(N/A)

Savannah police say they don’t believe the attacker was known to the victim.

No arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing.

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