AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – We have a safety alert about some dangerous medical waste.

When a News 12 viewer found a pile of needles and even some vials of blood, he was worried kids in a nearby neighborhood might find it, too.

When he reached out to the News 12 on Your Side Investigators, we went to work.

We met him at the site just steps from the Pine College campus and in the heart of the Laney-Walker Neighborhood.

Nestled in the bushes, we saw a nest of needles and other used medical materials.

Vials of what looked like blood, syringes and IV tubing were tangled in a mound, posing potential dangers.

“Anthony” did not want us to show you his face, but he wanted to show you what he stumbles across while taking a shortcut to the store.

“I didn’t want no kid to walk up on it and get poked by it,” Anthony said.

When we expanded our search just beyond that pile, we found more than just needles and vials of blood. In a separate location, we discovered other medical debris, including X-rays and tattered parts of charts revealing personal patient information.

One document referenced treatment for back pain and included a patient’s name.

Used needles and biological materials like blood are considered biohazardous waste, capable of spreading infections such as Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Georgia law mandates strict procedures for safely disposing of such waste and even includes protections for animals.

We contacted the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office to report the discovery. Within minutes, two deputies arrived and began documenting and collecting the hazardous materials, wearing protective gloves and activating their body cameras for transparency.

MORE FROM 12 ON YOUR SIDE INVESTIGATES:

“There’s a lot here,” one deputy remarked. “We’ll collect as much as we can, and our narcotics office has a way of disposing of stuff like this.”

Deputies also accompanied us to the second nearby site, where additional needles and medical waste, including a nasal Narcan spray and what appeared to be a broken thermometer, were found in plain view.

Most of the shreds of medical documents we recovered appeared to be decades old, with some dated as far back as the late 1990s. The only identifier was a reference to a hospital in Barnwell that shut its doors in 2016.

Despite the medical records and vials of blood, deputies didn’t seem to think it was a traditional illegal dumping site. Instead, it may have been someone rifling through stolen medical supplies, possibly looking for drugs, and abandoning what they didn’t need.

Thanks to Anthony’s report and a rapid response from law enforcement, all the waste was carefully removed and properly disposed of.

“It’s just crazy how much there is,” one deputy said on body cam while collecting the final items.

Anthony said his conscience wouldn’t let him walk past the dangerous debris without taking action.

“I’m not gonna walk by it,” he said. “It’s just not right.”

What to do if you find medical waste

If you ever come across medical waste like syringes, vials, or medical records in a public area, don’t touch it. Contact local law enforcement immediately. Those agencies have the tools and training to handle and dispose of it safely.

As for the personal information we uncovered, News 12 is in the process of trying to reach those affected. The records appear to be old, and there were only a few, but like the rest of the materials, they’ve now been securely disposed of.

This story serves as a powerful reminder: One person speaking up can help protect an entire community.

If you see something dangerous, say something.

Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The company that owns Bon Air Apartments and Richmond Summit Apartments has an important meeting coming up Tuesday.

The Augusta Commission could revoke Redwood Housing’s business license at the public hearing.

Ahead of Tuesday’s meeting, neighbors at Richmond Summit were dealing with another issue – no power. It came back on around 6 p.m. Wednesday.

One neighbor said they were notified a couple of days ago that the power would be out from 9 p.m. Tuesday until noon Wednesday for electrical work.

However, when that timeline passed and there weren’t any updates, neighbors started asking questions about why it took so long without any other notifications.

“People on walkers and wheelchairs trying to get outside, maybe try to get somewhere where there is AC, but it’s a bad situation for everybody involved,” said Earl Cason, resident at Richmond Summit. “I’m pouring some tap water over my head, and I’ve been using a cardboard paper to fan with all day.”

Cason has lived at Richmond Summit for five years, and he said these types of issues aren’t new, saying back in March, neighbors were also left without power.

“The claim was made that Georgia Power had shut the power off, but in calling them, they told me they had nothing to do with it. They don’t schedule outages,” said Cason.

Cason said he would like to move, but it’s hard to afford it.

“I haven’t had the option to just move out. Being under, as everyone is here under Section 8 housing, nobody can afford to just pack up and make a move on their own,” said Cason.

We asked an employee at Richmond Summit if they could provide any information or provide a statement, and they said no to both.

The public hearing will be on Tuesday at 1 p.m. on the second floor of the Augusta Municipal Building in the Lee Beard Commission Chamber.

This newest development comes after years of violence and complaints of poor living conditions at Bon Air.

These stories have drawn the attention of commissioners and U.S. Rep. Rick Allen.

Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Poor infrastructure and lack of maintenance are complaints we hear every year in Augusta, and city leaders agree.

While leaders narrow down the list of projects you could see on your ballot in November, neighbors say there’s an elephant in the room that needs to be addressed, and that’s years of alleged neglect.

Neighbors say, if money is going to go anywhere, it should go towards trash, overgrown weeds and blighted properties.

Some are taking it upon themselves to enact change, but they say they can’t do it by themselves.

Some roads crumble with cracked sidewalks and grass so tall it looks as if it could swallow you.

“You can see where basically the hillside is washing away, and it’s falling down here onto the embankment here,” said Eric Gaines, an Augusta resident. ”It just gets worse as we go further down here, and then, not to mention, this street has been a dumping ground.”

There is a story on Railroad Street, and Gaines is helping to find a better ending.

“ My grandparents grew up over here on Nicholas Street, and I remember coming down here as a kid; there used to be houses all up and down railroad street,” said Gaines.

Now he’s building a house in the neighborhood that built him.

“That’s the only way that we’re gonna be able to get some of these neighborhoods cleaned up, is that some of us are gonna personally have to come in and put our own dollars into these communities in order to kind of jumpstart some type of progress,” he said.

And he is already getting the attention of those in charge.

“ I’ve been working with them as well as Commissioner Pulliam and Commissioner Scott, and they’ve been very instrumental with getting some of these things done,” said Gaines.

Gaines, however, wants to see the talk turn into something bigger

“The folks here also deserve nice, safe and clean neighborhoods to take a part in, and I know that there are many constraints, but this right here is years of not being paid any attention to,” he said.

Gaines tells us he’s met with commissioners and the engineering department as well.

He says they are working together to hopefully start a site survey at the start of next year.

As for the SPLOST 9 list, as they work to finalize the list of projects that you can vote on, infrastructure was one of their top priorities as they finalize that list.

Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.