Police give details on Aiken escapee

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The South Carolina Department of Corrections is asking for help in finding an inmate who walked away from an Aiken facility March 2.

Brandon McDonald is believed to be traveling between Aiken and Greenville with his common-law wife, Michelle Cooper, and their 8-month-old son. They have been traveling in a 1997 green Toyota Camry with South Carolina tag FFG 895, according to a news release. He is considered armed and dangerous and was convicted of assault and battery.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Corrections Fugitive Apprehension Unit at (877) 349-2130. After 5 p.m., call (803) 896-2258, the S.C. Law Enforcement Division at (803) 737-9000 or local law enforcement.

Murder charges filed against 2 in 1975 case

Two men arrested in the 1975 fatal shooting of Bronzi Leon Peppers have been indicted on murder charges.

Mark Anthony Hill, 53, and William Lawrence Coffey, 58, face two counts of murder and one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime each, according to the Tuesday indictment.

Authorities connected the two men to the 35-year-old slaying late last year and they were arrested in February.

Police say offender is wanted on warrants

Investigators are searching for a convicted sex offender living in the Augusta area.

Frankie Bernard Wicker, 32, is thought to frequent the Washington Road area in Richmond County and sometimes does construction work, according to an e-mail from Sheriff's Investigator Charles Mulherin. Wicker is wanted on outstanding criminal warrants and for not registering as a sex offender. He is 5-feet, 10-inches tall and 160 pounds.

Anyone with information on Wicker may call Investigator Mulherin with the sheriff's office at (706) 821-1439.

Man sought from crash also burglary fugitive

Officers are looking for a man wanted on a vehicular homicide charge in connection with a fatal vehicle crash Feb. 11.

Richmond County Sgt. Blaise Dresser said that James Richard Brantley, 29, is wanted on one charge of first degree vehicular homicide and two charges of aggravated assault.

He is wanted in Edgefield County for burglary, and is also wanted on charges of felony forgery in Richmond County in connection with a separate incident.

Anyone with information can contact the Richmond County Sheriff's Office at (706) 821-1080.

U.S. House pays honor to late Judge Ruffin

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution Wednesday honoring the late Judge John H. "Jack" Ruffin Jr.

The resolution was offered by Rep. John Barrow, D-Ga., and was co-sponsored by all members of the Georgia delegation, according to Barrow's office.

Ruffin, a former Georgia Court of Appeals chief judge, died Jan. 29 at the age of 75. He was a leader in the civil rights movement in Augusta.

He was the first black member of the Augusta Bar Association, the first black Augusta Superior Court judge and the first black Court of Appeals chief judge.

Fake money used to buy Girl Scout cookies

Someone made a group of Girl Scouts very sad last weekend when they used a counterfeit $20 bill to buy cookies.

The fake money was given to members of Girl Scout Troop 5295 between noon and 2 p.m. Saturday while they were selling cookies in front of the Lowe's at 1220 Knox Ave. in North Augusta, according to a North Augusta Department of Public Safety incident report.

Kidsignment Sale set for Friday, Saturday

The biannual Pass It On Kidsignment Sale will be held Friday and Saturday at First Baptist Church, 120 North Chesterfield St. in Aiken.

The sale of gently used toys and children's clothing benefits the church's Parents Day Out program as well as local charities.

Sale hours are Friday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. and 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, when merchandise is half-price.

Call Vicki at (678) 859-2365 or visit passitonaiken.com.

Wicker

Brantley