Augusta, GA

‘We’re trying to improve’: Augusta government provides update on audit

Published

3 weeks ago

February 4, 2026

‘We’re trying to improve’: Augusta government provides update on audit

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Augusta Commission members got an update Tuesday on the audit of the Parks and Recreation Department.

They didn’t get the full audit report, but it was an executive summary that’s still in draft mode. Still, that tells us a lot about the audit, including that there were no criminal findings.

Housing and Community Development Audit

Augusta officials say a preliminary response related to an audit of the Housing and Community Development Department was received from Cherry Bekaert.

After initial review, the city has requested additional information to “ensure clarity and accuracy before the process moves forward.”

“The Augusta government remains committed to transparency and will provide further updates once the requested information is received and the audit is finalized,” the city said in the news release.

In November, Augusta Commission members held a budget workshop session with much discussion about the Housing and Community Development Department.

That’s the department that left the city on the hook to pay back millions in federal grant money. The city received more than $6 million in grant money during the COVID-19 pandemic, supposedly to help people who were in danger of eviction. The city never spent the money for that purpose, so the government demanded it back.

The scandal led to the exit of Housing and Community Director Hawthorne Welcher and sparked an audit of the department.

Audit findings

The findings reveal no criminal activity, but uncovered systemic issues rooted in outdated policies and weak internal controls.

UHY confirmed there were no criminal findings in the audit. However, officials say the problems uncovered are serious and years in the making.

Outdated policies

Many of the department’s rules haven’t been updated in more than a decade, and that’s what led to inconsistent bookkeeping, confusing ledger codes, and gaps in how spending was tracked.

The problems identified include:

Outdated policies
Inconsistent bookkeeping
Gaps in oversight
Weak internal controls
Need for better integration with finance and IT systems

Scope of the audit

UHY’s team reviewed more than 20,000 transactions and examined:

Lake Olmstead: Details on expenditures and ledger codes
Community Centers: List of user groups and dollar amounts taken in with each group
River Walk: Expenditures from all areas, including the additional $150,000 for 8th Street bulkhead
Vendor Expenditures: All vendor payments and the jobs they performed, including consultants and lawn services
Park Expenditures: All park spending broken down by park with ledger codes, including Fleming Park
Employee Travel: All hotel stays with locations by all employees in the department
Candlelight Jazz: Money totals for each date and how the money was collected and used
IT Review: Any deleted files for the department that are personnel or financial
Contracts: All contracts of $25,000 or less to verify the department head’s signature on documents, plus recommendations on automating vs. paper processes

What was uncovered?

At Lake Olmstead, $91,000 in charges were spread across seven different ledger codes — including a $5,000 speaker fee logged as “advertising.”
Community centers had no master list of who used the buildings. UHY had to piece it together themselves — identifying 43 user groups and more than $6.6 million in revenue over three years.
On the Riverwalk, $1.4 million was spent — but the city doesn’t have a specific ledger code for bulkhead repairs, making it impossible to track some of that work separately.
Among 36,000 vendor payments, they found missing invoices, wrong dates, and inconsistent documentation — but again, no fraud.
When they looked at park-specific spending, 21 parks had no ledger code at all, and 30 codes existed with no park attached to them.
For travel, some staff stayed in standard hotels — others, including the former director, stayed at more expensive ones. They also found travel costs buried in unrelated expense categories.
For Candlelight Jazz, the deposits didn’t match the revenue the city reported — three years in a row.
And IT confirmed that the former director’s email account was deleted, meaning auditors couldn’t review any of that communication.

Next steps

UHY says the next step is writing a formal response, and commissioners say they want that response before they dig into the audit line-by-line.

Parks and Recreation Director Tameka Williams emphasized the department’s commitment to moving forward.

“As a department, we know how to move forward. We understand the gaps that we need to fill and information for policy and procedures that we need to get in place.”

Williams noted that the department has already begun reviewing and updating its policies, particularly around monitoring and financial controls.

“We’ve looked at our policies with a fine-tooth comb, seeing what we need to update as far as monitoring and controls of our finances, how transactions come in, making sure that we are maintaining accountability,” she said.

Williams also highlighted plans for staff training improvements and the department’s focus on following proper procedures.

“We’re doing better. We’re trying to improve, and this is how we improve. We hear what has happened and then we change so we can move forward,” Williams said.

According to UHY’s assessment, updating policies represents “the best oversight you can provide,” with the consultant team concluding that many of the department’s foundational issues stemmed from procedures that hadn’t been modernized in over a decade.

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Augusta, GA

Popn’ Off Gourmet Popcorn opens on Broad Street in Augusta

Published

11 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Popn’ Off Gourmet Popcorn opens on Broad Street in Augusta

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A new gourmet popcorn shop has opened on Broad Street, bringing a Chicago-style twist to downtown Augusta.

Popn’ Off Gourmet Popcorn and Nuts, located at 716 Broad Street next to the Miller Theater, opened late last year. Owner Sheila Jones moved to Augusta from Chicago, where she said gourmet popcorn has a strong following.

“I’m from Chicago where gourmet popcorn is kind of a big deal,” Jones said.

Specialty flavors made in house

The shop offers specialty flavors including caramel, strawberry drizzle, peppermint, Oreo, green apple, and peanut butter — all made in house. Jones said the experience starts before customers even reach the counter.

“The smell is part of the experience. Green apple, strawberry, strawberry drizzle with chocolate. We have a new peanut butter flavor I just did,” Jones said.

A business built for family

Jones said her move to Augusta and her decision to open the business were driven by her son, who is on the autism spectrum. She said she believed he would be more comfortable in Augusta and wanted to build something that would benefit him long-term.

“I wanted him to have something when he gets older. He has a job already if he wants one. He already has a business,” Jones said.

Jones said starting the business has been harder than she expected. She handles most operations herself, with some help from family. She said the purpose behind the shop keeps her motivated.

“Coming into this every day is fulfilling because I built it. I’m building it and I just wanna see how high we’ll go,” Jones said.

Popn’ Off Gourmet Popcorn and Nuts is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The shop is also holding a pop-up Saturday at noon on Gordon Highway.

Here’s a link to their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61584084467886#

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Augusta, GA

Deputy fired over on-duty sex with co-worker’s wife, documents show

Published

23 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Deputy fired over on-duty sex with co-worker’s wife, documents show

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A deputy was fired for having sex with another deputy’s wife while on duty, according to personnel documents from the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.

And it’s not the first time his love life has raised questions − he left a job in Aiken County after a similar problem.

Sgt. Christopher Chavous was dismissed after the matter was reported by the deputy whose wife was allegedly having the relations with now-fired deputy, according to the documents.

Chavous admitted it when confronted by an investigator on Feb. 16, according to the documents.

He said he first slept with her before Christmas and had continued doing so at least one or two times a week, according to the documents.

He also admitted that he’d done so at least once while on duty, according to the documents.

The husband said he’d suspected for some time that his wife had been sleeping with another deputy, but he initially didn’t know who it was.

Eventually, the husband tracked his wife on his phone to an apartment he knew belonged to Chavous, according to the documents.

Additionally, the husband showed Sgt. Walter McNeil, who was investigating the allegations, a video he’d obtained that showed his wife standing in the doorway of the apartment while kissing Chavous.

The husband also provided additional images of his wife’s car at the complex, as well as Chavous’ unmarked patrol car there.

The husband “advised that he doesn’t feel comfortable with the fact that Sgt. Chavous is in a peer support role with the agency, and he sleeps around with other Deputies wives,” McNeil wrote.

When confronted by internal affairs, Chavous admitted he’d been sleeping with the other deputy’s wife for about a month and a half, according to the documents. Chavous said he was going through a divorce of his own, according to the documents.

“It is imperative for all employees of this agency to always demonstrate sound judgment, both on and off duty,” McNeil wrote in the report. “Additionally, staff members must conduct themselves in a manner that upholds the integrity and reputation of the Sheriff’s Office. The actions of Sgt. Chavous fell short of these established standards.”

The personnel documents state the final disposition for Chavous, who also runs the Support 1 charity: “Termination.”

In response to the action, Chavous told News 12:

“I will have to refer to this to my counsel. I am appealing the decision.”

He faces certain investigation by the state.

Anytime a law enforcement officer is fired in the state, it automatically triggers an investigation by the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council.

Here’s a look at his POST records so far:

News 12 learned that before he came to Richmond County, Chavous retired from the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office in 2023 after a complaint of an inappropriate relationship with a confidential informant.

These sex scandals seem to be a recurring problem for law enforcement agencies across the CSRA:

In January, we reported that Aiken County Sheriff Marty Sawyer took action to demote two employees for allegedly engaging in an inappropriate sexual relationship while on duty, according to officials.
In December, we reported that deputy Diana Santiago was arrested after admitting to an “intimate relationship” with a member of a gang and using Richmond County Sheriff’s Office databases to look up information for that member while on duty.
In 2023, we reported that an open microphone in a patrol car revealed that two supervisors had sex during working hours. They were demoted.
Two other Richmond County deputies were fired after their relationship was uncovered. They were fired not for the relationship but for lying about it.
In 2023, we reported that a deputy had sex with a woman who’d called 911. He was put on probation for one year.
In addition, Burke County Sheriff Alfonzo Williams has been involved in a lawsuit by a former employee who alleges he was involved in sexual harassment.

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Augusta, GA

SAFETY ALERT: Recalled fried rice could have been sold in Augusta

Published

1 day ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

SAFETY ALERT: Recalled fried rice could have been sold in Augusta

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Augusta-area residents could have purchased fried rice that was recently recalled because it may contain glass pieces.

The brand − Ajinomoto Yakitori Chicken with Japanese-Style Fried Rice − was sold at Costco, according to a recall letter received by a local customer.

Ajinomoto Foods North America in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a voluntary recall of some lots because it may contain glass. The affected products have “best by” codes ranging from 110825 through 011227.

It’s the same recall that was issued a few days ago for store-brand chicken fried rice that was sold at Trader Joe’s stores.

Althogh the name is different, it all comes from Ajinomoto.

Nearly 3.4 million pounds of frozen chicken fried rice products sold at Trader Joe's stores... — Nearly 3.4 million pounds of frozen chicken fried rice products sold at Trader Joe’s stores and in Canada because they may contain pieces of glass(US Department of Agriculture)

The Trader Joe’s version was sold in 20-ounce plastic bags. The affected packages have best-by dates of Sept. 8 through Nov. 17, 2026. The products are stamped with the establishment number P-18356 inside the USDA mark of inspection.

The problem was detected after four consumers complained of finding glass. No injuries have been reported. Consumers should avoid eating the product and throw it away or return it to the store where it was purchased.

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