Augusta, GA
Augusta leaders aim to help homeless teens with new task force
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – As we start the new year, Augusta leaders are hoping to target part of the local homelessness crisis you might not be aware of — homeless teens.
They still show up to school, do their homework and play sports, but don’t have a reliable roof over their heads.
This is what a new teenage homelessness task force hopes to address.
City leaders are putting weight to words.
“I don’t want to think that the homeless task force is just meeting and throwing things at the wall to see what sticks. That’s not the case,” said Commissioner Jordan Johnson.
And making sure no one is left behind.
“They aren’t just people with shopping carts. We know their names. And they know ours,” said Johnson.
For Nomi Stanton and Johnson, it’s a year of change.
“Pull the city together, pull the nonprofits together to help people,” said Stanton.
Stanton says when you think of homelessness, you think of adults.
But think again.
A LIST OF RESOURCES:
“There are homeless teens. I see children pulling their own luggage. Our community is better than that. And so those are the things that I’m really looking forward to tackling,” said Stanton.
The first step: a teenage homeless task force.
“It would be absolutely beautiful for teenagers to also be actively part of how they can make their community a better place. Long after we’re gone, those are the future leaders of this community,” said Stanton.
They’re even pulling in outside resources.
Johnson said: “What we’re working on now is a partnership with an organization outside of Atlanta that specializes in getting folks out of hotels and into housing.”
The goal is to get people back on their feet.
One way they’re doing that is with mailboxes.
Stanton said: “But you still have to register your children at school. If you are staying at the shelter and you are coming to GAP ministries and getting your birth certificate and then going to the DMV to get a state ID, you need to have an address.”
The new mailboxes will be in front of GAP Ministries soon, and open for applications.
“If you think about every single one of them was someone’s baby, that’s what I think of,” said Stanton.
Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Richmond County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a deadly crash that happened on Mike Padgett Highway Saturday.
Deputies went to the 4600 block around 8:50 p.m. Officials say 70-year-old Charles Cummings of Augusta was pronounced dead at the scene at around 9:52 p.m.
The Richmond County Coroner’s Office also responded to the scene in connection with the fatal crash. An autopsy has been scheduled.
Investigators said the case remains active and ongoing.
No additional details were released, and the sheriff’s office says updates will be provided as more information becomes available.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The second annual Juneteenth trail ride took place on Old Waynesboro Road in Augusta on Saturday.
The event featured trail rides with horses and ATVs, a mechanical bull contest and music.
People shopped at vendors, and there was entertainment for kids, including a petting zoo, inflatables and games.
“It’s really a privilege just to be able to have the opportunity to share my space, to share my area, and to share for an event with so much value, to give back to my community and a place to celebrate,” said Davon Wallace, chief of operations at Crimson Hills.
Wallace said they will be hosting more events, with a haunted trail coming in October.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) — The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office has made multiple arrests in a deadly shooting that left one teenager dead and another injured early Saturday morning.
According to deputies, the incident happened June 20, at approximately 12:50 a.m. in the 200 block of Warren Road, where authorities responded to reports of shots fired involving two gunshot victims.
When deputies arrived, they located two 18-year-old men from Augusta.
Officials identified the victims as Eric Markquis Bartley Miller and Joseph Lamar Thomas.
Investigators say Miller sustained at least one gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Thomas was also found with at least one gunshot wound and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office says the circumstances surrounding the shooting remain under active investigation.
As of Saturday afternoon, three teenage suspects have been arrested and charged in connection with the incident.
18-year-old Dmihjay Collins, 17-year-old Tayshaun Thomas, and 17-year-old Joseph Thomas have all been arrested and charged with Murder, Aggravated Assault, and Possession of Machine Guns. They are all currently being held at the Webster Detention Center.
A fourth teenager, 17-year-old Reante Byrd was also arrested, but investigators have not linked him to the murder case. Byrd has been charged with Possession of a Pistol or Revolver by a Person Under the Age of 18. He is also being held in the Webster Detention Center.
No further details in the investigation have been released.
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