AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – After fighting two fires in one day, Augusta Fire/EMA wants to remind everyone not to burn their storm debris on Tuesday.

On Oct. 15, officials posted on Facebook that they were on the scene of a fire around 5 p.m., the second around Barton Chapel Road in 24 hours.

Burning can create hazardous conditions, increase the fire risk, and make the air quality worse.

Augusta fire is urging the community to use designated disposal methods – like piling it up on the side of the road or contacting local authorities for help.

City contractors have begun collecting debris from Hurricane Helene, including all non-bagged yard debris placed on Augusta’s right-of-way.

Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Cleanup is underway at Augusta University after heavy damage from Hurricane Helene.

Power is restored on campus and most of the debris is clear, but there is still caution tape up as crews clean up.

Dr. Keen says Helene left more than $5 million worth of damage.

AU leadership says although they’ve made strides with keeping the doors open, they still have a long recovery ahead.

“We can replace buildings, we can plant seeds for more trees, but we cannot replace the human beings that take part in our community,” says Russell Keen, Augusta University president.

It’s a reality Keen says they’re still trying to navigate after Helene left its mark, but he says clean-up isn’t the top issue right now.

“I think the most difficult part is, not necessarily the cleanup, it’s getting everyone else back on campus, focused and ready to go, which our faculty and staff and our students have done an amazing job,” says Keen.

Students say the transition has been mostly smooth, but it’s hard to ignore the last two weeks and what it has cost them.

“We actually had water coming through our doors,” says Riya Patel, senior at AU. “It wasn’t entirely too much, but it was enough to for us to be concerned.”

“Definitely a little overwhelmed,” says Tenbit Serbessa, a senior at AU. “You know, we didn’t have class for almost two weeks, so everything is, like, pushed until this weekend and next week.”

Students living on campus were moved to Gordon State College for refuge when power was out, and resources are still available for students like food and laundry services through the Salvation Army.

“It’s like good to see that everybody in the community stepped in to help one another out, especially the neighborhoods that were like severely impacted,” says Patel.

“I think they did the best that they could, given the circumstances,” says Serbessa.

Keen says fixing everything will be a long-term project, but he believes this will make the AU community stronger.

“The resilience that was demonstrated, and really the last couple of weeks of this institution, this community, speaks very loudly, and I’m very excited about what that might offer for our future,” says Keen.

AU leadership says they’re continuing to work with contractors to get everything cleaned up.

They’re continuing to focus on the well-being of students and faculty through hybrid classes and continuing community partnerships to fulfill their communities’ needs during this time.

Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Two people from the CSRA have been indicted for illegal firearms possession and drug distribution, according to authorities.

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

“Illegally possessed guns, particularly those converted to automatic fire, are a persistent threat to public safety,” said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “With our law enforcement partners, we are committed to eliminating these sources of violence in our communities.”

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.

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

CSRA defendants recently adjudicated on federal firearms charges include:

• Kenyatta Dunn Nero, 40, of Augusta, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Richmond County deputies found a pistol in Nero’s vehicle during a July 2023 traffic stop. Nero has multiple previous criminal convictions on state charges that include illegal gun possession.
• Jakobian Sentell Jones, 25, of Warrenton, Ga., was sentenced to 60 months in prison and fined $1,500 after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon and Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine and Methamphetamine. Georgia State Patrol troopers found Jones in possession of a revolver during a traffic stop, and in possession of cocaine and methamphetamine during a subsequent search.

Other defendants from the region:

• Laron Thompson, a/k/a “Hollywood,” 38, of Savannah, was sentenced to 115 months in prison after pleading guilty to a drug conspiracy charge and to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Thompson is one of 10 defendants, including Tyquian Bowman, a/k/a “Quando Rondo,” 24, of Savannah, indicted in 2023 in a Savannah-area drug trafficking conspiracy.
• Jacqueline Christmas, 50, of Statesboro, was sentenced to 33 months in prison after pleading guilty to False Statement During the Purchase of a Firearm. An ATF investigation determined that Christmas purchased multiple handguns from a Bulloch County gun store, falsely claiming a legal owner was the buyer of the guns when they were actually purchased by and delivered in New York to Christmas’ brother-in-law, who since has pled guilty to related federal firearms charges.
• Othnell Christian Ferguson, 27, of Pembroke, Ga., was sentenced to 70 months in prison and fined $1,500 after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Statesboro police officers determined Ferguson possessed a pistol during a foot chase following a February 2023 traffic stop.
• Jamal Brashad Hawkins, 22, of Swainsboro, Ga., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Emanuel County deputies found Hawkins in possession of a pistol after a traffic stop in June 2023.
• Darnell Harold Miller, 25, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Savannah police in January found Miller in possession of a pistol while investigating a domestic disturbance.
• Nathan Sparks, 27, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Savannah police found a pistol in Sparks’ waistband during a traffic stop.
• Anthony McQuarters, 31, of Hardeeville, S.C., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. A Georgia State Patrol trooper arrested McQuarters on state charges following a chase on I-16 by multiple law enforcement agencies through Laurens, Treutlen, Emanuel, and Candler counties, and found pistols in his possession.
• Christopher Jeramy Blair, 44, of Pembroke, Ga., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of Firearms by a Convicted Felon. Acting on a tip, investigators from the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives seized 11 handguns, rifles, and shotguns during a search of Blair’s residence.

Those indicted in October include:

• Javon Edwards, 30, of Savannah, charged with Possession of a Machine Gun, referring to a pistol converted to automatic fire with a “Glock switch”; and,
• Travis Sanders, 44, of Savannah, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.

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 visit the website.

Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.