Augusta, GA
Suspect sentenced in Augusta Social Security bomb threat
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A Richmond County man was sentenced after he entered a guilty plea to a federal charge related to a bomb threat last year targeting the Social Security Administration’s Augusta office, we learned on Thursday.
Keyon Tishaye Dickens, 38, of Augusta, was sentenced to 36 months after he pleaded guilty to using a telephone to make a threat to injure a person or damage a building by explosives, according to prosecutors.
U.S. District Court Judge J. Randal Hall also ordered Dickens to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term.
There is no parole in the federal system.
“Threats of violence against workers and customers of any facility are completely unacceptable,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “We commend our law enforcement partners for ensuring the safety of those in the Social Security office and assisting in holding Keyon Dickens accountable for his actions.”
He could’ve gotten 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.
“Keyon Dickens’ malicious actions are criminal and intolerable. This sentence demonstrates that threats to Social Security employees and offices are felonious and will not be ignored. We will continue to aggressively respond to threats, investigate the perpetrators, and seek prosecution,” said Michelle L. Anderson, Acting SSA Inspector General. “I am thankful that there was no harm to SSA employees. I appreciate the immediate response from the security officers in the local SSA office, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives in investigating this matter and I thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for prosecuting this case.”
The case was investigated by the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, and the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney George J.C. Jacobs III.
Copyright 2023 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.
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.
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