Augusta, GA
Mentor uses personal experience as guidance for youths in Augusta
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – We’re heading into the summer months and while kids are out of school, they are in need of things to keep them on the right path and away from trouble.
We’ve spoken to organizations like Living in Purpose and The Manhood Tour, which are two examples of people trying to reach kids at a young age.
Aaron Kinzer is a facilitator with The Manhood Tour. His one-of-a-kind experience motivated him to do something to turn his life around so that others may learn from it.
He spent 13 years in federal prison. He was charged with several counts of conspiracy to distribute marijuana, crack cocaine and money laundering.
He says he was first introduced to drugs during his youth. By the time he was 21, he was a full-time drug dealer.
Kinzer says he lacked guidance, direction and stability, and carries with him a lot of the same problems many youth in our community face today.
While Kinzer was in prison, he wrote two books. A poem book titled, “Outside the Margin of Error,” and a children’s book titled, “All You Can Be.”
“It’s a collection of poems from a prisoner,” Kinzer read from “Outside the Margin of Error.” “That prisoner was me.”
At age 28, Kinzer says he was indicted by the federal government and later on, convicted and sentenced to over 15 years in federal prison for drug trafficking.
“I served 13 years and two months of that federal sentence. And during that time is when I was able to discover a passion and a purpose and work on changing myself,” he said.
He says he was able to find his way to Augusta due to his family relocating here.
“My brother relocated and he was a great support network while I was inside and we had promised that he was going to be one when I got out,” said Kinzer. “When he and his wife made a move to Augusta when he got out of the military, I made my move in my mind. I was coming here and changed my release address to Augusta, Georgia, and the rest is history.”
Kinzer says he was released to a halfway house here. Two months later, he went to house arrest with a GPS monitor. And on Aug. 2, 2023, he had an ankle monitor cut off and became a free man.
“What I’ve done and what I’ve experienced and what I’ve seen in my life and my walk, anyway I can use that as a tool to help people fix their lives and not go the route that I went. That is my mission. That is my purpose. And that is what I’m doing. And that’s what I’m living and striving to do every day that I wake,” said Kinzer.
As victims of crime seem to get younger and younger, Kinzer wants to reach the youth before they head down the path he once walked.
“They’re scared in their own neighborhoods. They’re scared in their own communities. I’ve seen those areas, I’ve been in those areas prior to me coming to prison, that’s what led me to prison is being in those areas and living that life,” he said.
Copyright 2024 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.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Students showcased drones they built during a two-week summer camp at Augusta Regional Airport on Friday.
12 junior and high school students attended the camp, where they learned to fly and build drones designed to help others.
Anderson Puryear, a student, said the camp focused on delivering small medical supplies.
“It was focused on delivering small medical supplies like an EPI pen or glucose packet for like diabetics and for people with allergies in need in the real world that could obviously help save lives, and if people are like in a place in a boat or like in the desert or in the forest where they can’t easily access those supplies it can save their lives,” Puryear said.
The airport partnered with Georgia Tech, state troopers and the Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting Department for the Air Edu Summer Camp.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The 10th annual Juneteenth Augusta Festival brought families to the Augusta Fairgrounds on Friday despite the muggy heat.
Cultural and community-focused events, live music performances and food trucks were available at the celebration.
Tonia Hill, attending the Juneteenth celebration, said she loves the holiday and is supporting the community, though she acknowledged the weather conditions.
“I love Juneteenth. And I’m supporting everybody. It’s hot. It’s hot. It’s hot,” Hill said.
The festival runs until 10 p.m.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
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