AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A Richmond County man entered a guilty plea to a federal charge related to a bomb threat last year targeting the Social Security Administration’s Augusta office.

Keyon Tishaye Dickens, 38, of Augusta, pleaded guilty to using a telephone to make a threat to injure a person or damage a building by explosives, according to prosecutors.

He could get up to 10 years in prison.

As described in the plea agreement, Dickens received a notice in September 2023 that the Social Security Administration intended to recoup overpayments to his Supplemental Security Income from future checks.

He called the Social Security Administration office in Augusta to complain and stated, “I’m going to shoot the office up and I’m going to blow it up. I haven’t decided yet what I’m going to do.”

Dickens visited the office on Oct. 10, 2023, carrying a backpack and showed a note that read “I have a bomb” to a security officer.

The officer notified the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, and the building was locked down and evacuated. No bomb was found, and Richmond County deputies took Dickens into custody.

U.S. District Court Judge J. Randal Hall will schedule sentencing for Dickens later.

Copyright 2023 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT/Gray News) – A Georgia woman stopped on her way home to help an alligator in the roadway.

Angel Benson says she was driving along Doug Barnard Parkway in Augusta on her way home Saturday afternoon when she saw a huge alligator in the road, as vehicles were traveling in its path, WRDW reports.

Benson parked her car behind the alligator, called law enforcement and stayed on the scene to warn drivers until staff from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources arrived.

“We walk the swamp a good bit, so making sure he didn’t get hurt was the least we could do,” Benson said.

She shared the photos she took with WRDW.

According to DNR, alligators are typically found along and south of the fall line in Georgia, which connects the cities of Columbus, Macon and Augusta. The line is the prehistoric Atlantic coastline.

Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – There was more than just vehicles on Doug Barnard Parkway on Saturday afternoon.

Angel Benson says she was driving along the parkway, on her way home, when she saw a huge alligator in the road as vehicles were traveling in its path.

Benson tells us she parked her car behind the alligator, called law enforcement, and stayed on the scene to warn drivers until staff from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources arrived.

“We walk the swamp a good bit so making sure he didn’t get hurt was the least we could do,” said Benson.

Benson shared the photos she took with News 12.

According to DNR, in Georgia, alligators are typically found along and south of the Fall Line, which connects the cities of Columbus, Macon and Augusta. The Fall Line is the prehistoric Atlantic coastline.

Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.