AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – To help support caregivers of veterans, the VA Augusta Health Care System will host a veteran caregiver resource fair from noon to 3 p.m. Wednesday at its uptown campus.

Titled “Caregiving: Refresh and Renew,” the resource fair will offer those who attend an opportunity to:

• Discuss caregiving with VA Augusta caregiver support staff.
• Gain resources from VA Augusta and other veteran-advocate agencies.
• Connect with other Veteran caregivers.

The event will be in Room 3B-125 at the uptown campus, 1 Freedom Way.

To learn more about the VA Caregiver Support Program visit www.caregiver.va.gov.

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Later this week, VA Augusta Health Care System will host a Stand Down for Veterans experiencing homelessness from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday in the second-floor gymnasium of the uptown campus.

Veterans can get life-essential items like toiletries and blankets, as well as a boxed lunch, a VA eligibility screening, the opportunity to register for VA health care, local community agency information, and HUD-VASH and other veteran housing information.

Veterans can also contact sabrina.faircloth@va.gov for help.

Homeless veteran programs housed nearly 48,000 veterans across the U.S. in Fiscal Year 2024, surpassing the annual goal by 16.9%. Locally, VA Augusta exceeded its annual goal by 245.7%, which leads VA facilities across the nation.

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AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Five suspects from the CSRA have been indicted for felony charges of illegal firearms possession, according to authorities.

Newly returned indictments in the Southern District of Georgia include felony charges for illegal firearms possession, while additional defendants have been sentenced to federal prison or await further proceedings after pleading guilty to federal gun charges.

“As we continue to see the proliferation of illegal guns converted to fully automatic fire, we commend our law enforcement partners for acting to contain this threat to our neighborhoods,” said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “Keeping firearms out of the hands of felons remains a priority for our office.”

The cases are prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods in collaboration with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the FBI, to reduce violent crime with measures that include targeting convicted felons who illegally possess guns.

Those indicted in November include:

• Antonio Rodriquez Holmes III, 30, of Augusta, was charged with Illegal possession of a machine gun, possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
• Luke Bunyun Jr., 46, of Waynesboro, charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon
• Lemar Neil Robinson, 35, of Savannah, was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Also charged in a recently unsealed indictment was Charlie Sapp, 57, of Savannah, charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

All indicted defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Defendants recently adjudicated on federal firearms charges include:

• Keyeon Demar Tykeim Smith, 23, of Augusta, was sentenced to 15 months in prison and fined $1,000 after pleading guilty to receipt of a firearm by a person under indictment. Richmond County deputies found a pistol in Smith’s possession while serving an arrest warrant.
• Brodrick Kyle Merritt, 42, of Augusta, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon as an armed career criminal. Richmond County deputies found a pistol in Merritt’s possession during a traffic stop. Merritt was on probation on state charges when arrested, and faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison.
• Scottie Eugene Bryant, 48, of Grovetown, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Grovetown police officers searched Bryant’s residence and seized multiple firearms in April 2023.
• Richard Bruce Salyer Jr., 49, of Forsyth, Ga., was sentenced to 170 months in prison after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Chatham County police officers found a pistol in Salyer’s waistband while investigating a report of a stolen vehicle in November 2023. Salyer has two prior convictions for illegally possessing firearms, and at the time of his arrest was an escapee from the Jefferson County, Ga., Correctional Institute.
• David Kreiss, 49, of Twin City, Ga., was sentenced to 88 months in prison after pleading guilty to possession of firearms by a convicted felon. Twin City police found Kreiss in possession of a rifle and four shotguns while investigating a domestic disturbance.
• Kavon Smalls, 29, of Savannah, was sentenced to 42 months in prison after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Savannah police found a pistol after chasing Smalls when he ran away from a vehicle that crashed during an attempted traffic stop.
• Maleak J. Parrish, 24, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Savannah police found a pistol in Parrish’s possession during a traffic stop.
• Raquan Williams, 23, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to a false statement during the purchase of a firearm. Williams attempted to purchase a shotgun from a Chatham County firearms dealer in June 2023, falsely claiming he was not under indictment at the time on state charges of armed robbery and aggravated assault.
• Stanley Hall, 22, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Savannah police found Hall in possession of a handgun while investigating a reported attempted vehicle break-in.
• Corinthian Lamar Colonel, 26, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Officers from the Savannah Police Department and the Georgia Department of Community Supervision found two firearms in the Colonel’s residence during a September 2023 search.
• Eddie Robertson, 30, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Savannah police officers found Robertson in possession of a handgun after a December 2023 traffic stop and foot chase.
• Jacorey Rivers, 32, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to possession of a machinegun, and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. Rivers was on supervised release when he fled from a traffic stop and crashed. Officers found a Glock pistol in his possession that had been converted to automatic fire.
• Willie Dunbar, 45, of Villa Rica, Ga., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to possession of a machine gun. During a January traffic stop, Wheeler County deputies found Dunbar in possession of a Polymer80 “ghost gun” fitted with a device converting it to automatic fire.

The cases are being prosecuted for the United States by the Southern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Under federal law, it is illegal for an individual to possess a firearm if he or she falls into one of nine prohibited categories including being a felon; illegal alien; or unlawful user of a controlled substance. Further, it is unlawful to possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense or violent crime. It is also illegal to purchase – or even to attempt to purchase – firearms if the buyer is a prohibited person or illegally purchasing a firearm on behalf of others. Lying on ATF Form 4473, which is used to lawfully purchase a firearm, also is a federal offense.

For more information from the ATF on the lawful purchasing of firearms, please see: https://www.atf.gov/qa-category/atfw-form-4473.

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