Augusta, GA
Local meth kingpin used mom as drug courier, feds say
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Six local residents are headed to federal prison after authorities busted a wide-ranging meth pipeline from Atlanta that was headed by a man who used his mom as a drug courier, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Lead defendant James Andrew McPherson, 30, of Hephzibah, was sentenced to 188 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.
His operation transported large quantities of highly pure methamphetamine for distribution in Richmond, Columbia and Burke counties, according to prosecutors.
McPherson or his couriers – including his mother – brought in the meth from Atlanta, then he split it into smaller quantities for the others to sell, according to prosecutors.
McPherson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute methamphetamine.
Authorities have been saying for years that Augusta is susceptible to rings like this, being situated along Interstate 20 with easy access to Atlanta. The Atlanta area itself is a major funnel for the pipeline, as shown by the discovery last month of a ton of meth hidden in a celery truck at a farmers market.
Other defendants sentenced in McPherson’s case include:
- Brandon Wayne Johnson, 43, of Hephzibah, sentenced to 87 months in prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
- Marcus “Smoke” Smith, 32, of Augusta, sentenced to 151 months in prison after pleading guilty to distribution of methamphetamine.
- Leslie Helinski, 54, of Augusta, the mother of James McPherson, sentenced to 130 months in prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
- Tony Watson, 49, of Conover, N.C., sentenced to 120 months in prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
- Charity Porter, 25, of Augusta, sentenced to 37 months in prison after pleading guilty to distribution of methamphetamine.
“We applaud the work of our law enforcement partners in identifying and disrupting this meth-trafficking conspiracy,” said U.S. Attorney Jill E. Steinberg. “Our communities are safer with these illegal drug distributors off the streets.”
Robert J. Murphy, special agent in charge of the DEA Atlanta Division, agreed.
“Driven by greed, these drug traffickers’ activities posed a significant threat to the Augusta area and beyond,” he said.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the Georgia State Patrol, Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, Burke County Sheriff’s Office and McDuffie County Sheriff’s Office.
Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a wanted man.
35-year-old Oniel Gary Cameron is wanted for an incident that occurred on Bridgewater Drive in Augusta Thursday.
Authorities say his charges include:
- Cruelty to children 3rd Degree
- Criminal Damage to Property 1st Degree
- Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon
Cameron reportedly has warrants on file with RCSO and is known to drive a black Toyota Seqoia with a Georgia tag of D-E-E-8-6-7-2.
He is believed to be Armed and Dangerous.
Anyone that comes into contact with Cameron or has any information on his location is urged to call the Richmond County Sheriff’s office at 706-821-1020 or 706-821-1080.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Dr. Lori Myles says Augusta has been running without real accountability, and she wants to change that.
The former educator is one of four candidates running for Augusta-Richmond County mayor. Myles said the city’s most pressing issues are not new — they have just gone unaddressed.
“One of the things that I truly believe that the city of Augusta has gone through is that there was no accountability,” Myles said.
Myles has run for mayor before. She said her first days in office would be spent visiting each commissioner’s district to see what needs attention.
“I wanna go to their best places. I wanna see their dirt. I wanna see those things that need to be fixed in their parts. I wanna see the infrastructure of the city of Augusta, but yet, I wanna see the pride of Augusta in their districts,” Myles said.
Homelessness focus
Myles pointed to homelessness as one of Augusta’s overlooked issues.
“You’re dealing with different entities of homelessness. You’re dealing with them as far as mental health. You’re dealing with them as far as their children, as far as their children going to school. Imagine, and I’m about to quit, darling, but children having to sleep in tents at night behind these trees and then still go to school,” Myles said.
City department management
Myles also takes aim at how the city manages its departments.
“There should be a performance-based structure of leadership, a transformation that has a shared vision, a shared vision for not only the millennials, the, not only the, uh, what is it? Generation Z, but for everyone. It’s not a color, it’s not an option, it is all shall be able to have the best of Augusta in the best of Augusta,” Myles said.
Myles said if elected, she wants to bring Augusta’s city departments under one unified standard of accountability.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
VIDEO: Greek Festival returns downtown
The spring Greek Festival returns to downtown Augusta held this weekend.
Another downtown Augusta hotel is preparing to go vertical four years after the city approved the project.
Augusta has seen a spate of hotel construction and renovation recently. The former Sky City building on the 1100 block of Broad Street has been demolished to make way for an Embassy Suites. In November 2025, interior demolition began at the Ramada by Wyndham Augusta Downtown Hotel and Conference Center at 640 Broad St. to transform it into a distinctive Marriott property called The Conroy.
Now, subcontracting bids are being tendered to construct an extended-stay Residence Inn by Marriott at the corner of 13th and Walker streets. Plan holder Optum Construction of Gainesville, Ga., is accepting bids until 1 p.m. on May 13.
American Concrete successfully petitioned the city in 2022 for a zoning variance on the property to allow the hotel’s construction.
The land was sold in November 2022 to a limited-liability company associated with PeachState Hospitality. The Warner Robins-based company’s property portfolio includes the Residence Inn and the SpringHill Suites at 1110 and 1116 Marks Church Road, respectively, and the Fairfield Inn & Suites at 3023 1/2 Washington Road.
The 2-acre parcel of property shaped like a piece of pie was the former site of local business American Concrete, now on Wheeler Road.
The land had been an industrial site for much of the past century, as the longtime site of Perkins Lumber, then of paving contractor Southern Roadbuilders.
Now the property finds itself amid a downtown revitalization, including improved roads and riverside activities, such as a pedestrian bridge and a planned outdoor activity center featuring a zipline over the Savannah River. The future hotel would sit near downtown, the city’s bustling medical district, and a new entertainment complex taking the place of the former James Brown Arena.
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