GROVETOWN, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A man has been accused of sexual exploitation of a minor and grooming a minor in Grovetown, authorities confirmed on Thursday.

On July 23, Columbia County deputies responded to a home on Baker Place Road around 6:52 p.m. to meet with a parent who wanted to report a suspicious situation.

The parent stated an unknown suspect had been sending text messages to a minor that exhibited inappropriate behavior, but at the time was not criminal, according to authorities.

Given details the suspect told the victim, authorities say they were able to successfully identify him.

Authorities informed the parent that if any crimes were committed to report them – which led to his later arrest.

According to the arrest warrant issued on Aug. 13, Jason Alexander Shumaker, 45, did commit several crimes in Grovetown several times on July 13, according to the affiant.

According to the arrest warrant, these crimes include sexual exploitation of a minor (computer or electronic pornography) and grooming a minor under the age of 14 years old.

Shumaker was arrested on Tuesday and charged with sexual exploitation of children and grooming a minor, according to jail records.

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AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A 72-year-old man with medical issues has gone missing for the second time this year in Augusta, according to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.

Michael Shirley was last seen Aug. 10 in the 1300 block of Interstate Parkway wearing a gray shirt and black jeans, authorities say.

Michael Shirley has numerous medical problems and is known to frequent the downtown area near the 1300 Block of Greene Street, where he was located in April 2024.

Back in April, he was found a week after going missing, authorities say.

Officials say Shirley resides at a personal care home and has several medical issues.

Anyone with information concerning Michael Shirley, please contact the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office at 706-821-1020 or 706-821-1080.

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AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Authorities chased down and caught two escapees and took them into custody Thursday morning in Richmond County.

At 10:41 a.m., the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office got an alert about a black Toyota Tacoma linked to two escaped inmates from the Georgia Department of Corrections.

They’d failed to return to the Augusta Transitional Center from their place of employment at 9 p.m. Wednesday and the vehicle was reported stolen in Richmond County, according to authorities.

A Columbia deputy spotted the vehicle headed east on Washington Road at Davis Road and followed it to Shartom Drive in Richmond County, where additional deputies from Columbia and Richmond counties as well as U.S. Marshals Services officers converged.

A felony takedown was performed, and the driver, George Carter, 58, and front passenger Matthew Connelly, 30, were taken into custody without incident, according to authorities.

The vehicle and both detainees were turned over to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Marshals Service.

While officers were apprehending the escapees, the driver of the truck shifted it into reverse and it rolled into the front of a Columbia County deputy’s patrol vehicle, but no one was injured and the patrol vehicle received minor front-end damage.

Carter is serving 10 years for burglary out of Clayton County with a maximum release date of October 2025.

Connelly is serving five years for aggravated battery out of Bulloch County with a maximum release date of July 2026.

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