Augusta, GA
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.
Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – An inmate from the Charles B. Webster Detention Center died Sunday afternoon after being transported to Piedmont Hospital by EMS, officials told us.
On Sunday, July 5, 2026, at approximately 1:52 p.m., deputy jailers at the Charles B. Webster Detention Center responded to an inmate who was found unresponsive inside a cell.
The Coroner’s Office said it responded to Piedmont hospital, and the inmate was pronounced dead at 2:36 p.m.
An autopsy has been scheduled.
The Coroner’s Office said the inmate’s identity will be released after the family is notified.
We also don’t know the cause of death yet. It’s unknown what medical issue led to the transport.
Members of the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division responded to the detention center. In accordance with protocol, the scene was secured, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation was requested to conduct an independent investigation.
The investigation remains active and ongoing.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – An 86-year-old Augusta woman died after a two-vehicle crash Saturday night at the intersection of Walton Way and 7th Street.
According to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to the crash around 9:50 p.m.
A preliminary investigation found a vehicle traveling west on Walton Way attempted to turn left onto 7th Street and entered the path of an eastbound vehicle traveling through the intersection. The two vehicles collided.
The Richmond County Coroner’s Office identified the victim as Carolyn Fletcher, 86, of Augusta. Fletcher was a passenger in the eastbound vehicle and was taken by EMS to Wellstar MCG Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 10:41 p.m.
An autopsy has been scheduled.
The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Division is continuing to investigate the crash.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
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