Tempers flared in the mid-90s heat at the Augusta Common on Sunday afternoon as the James Brown Soul of America Music Festival nearly came to an early halt.

On the final day of the three-day event - the day featuring gospel acts - festival organizers got into a dispute with Richmond County sheriff's deputies over how many officers were needed to work security and their pay, which led to a threat to arrest the festival's chief organizer, Charles "Champ" Walker.

The situation was resolved after several city officials, including the mayor, were summoned to Augusta Common. Mr. Walker paid the security bill, in part, with an $ 8,000 check from the city.

Also, some vendors were disgruntled with the way the festival played out. One even took to the stage to vent her fury.

Mr. Walker said the event was almost shut down when a Richmond County sheriff's deputy "said he had a warrant for my arrest."

Mr. Walker identified the officer as Sgt. Walter Ashley. He said the problem arose when the sergeant claimed that only one festival site was supposed to be open Sunday.

"It was clear in our contract that all three sites would be open," said Mr. Walker, referring to the Common, Jessye Norman Amphitheater and the Eighth Street fountain.

Sgt. Ashley said he met with Mr. Walker and his assistant, Mark Pugh, at about 1 a.m. Sunday. The two said there weren't enough scheduled groups to justify using the amphitheater Sunday, Sgt. Ashley said.

The three agreed to cut back on the number of deputies.

But it was too late at that point to rewrite the schedule. Mr. Walker agreed to pay the deputies already scheduled to work Sunday for four hours of work. Each deputy earns $15 per hour for a minimum four-hour shift, so Mr. Walker would have to pay that.

But then Sunday, as Sgt. Ashley was adjusting staff, other deputies saw musical groups setting up a stage at the amphitheater. If an event takes place on government property, there has to be security, according to a city ordinance.

The arrest threat against Mr. Walker occurred because "he said he didn't have any money and couldn't pay anybody," Sgt. Ashley said. "So I said if he didn't have money, I'd have to shut the event down and warrants could be issued for his arrest and he'd be charged with theft of services."

Sgt. Ashley said Mr. Walker never refused to pay.

"He just said he didn't have the money," the sergeant said.

For the three-day festival, Mr. Walker was originally going to pay just more than $30,000 for security, with 52 off-duty deputies working each day.

Sgt. Ashley said to help the organizers save money, he cut back to 32 deputies for Friday, 32 for Saturday and 27 for Sunday.

Ten deputies ended up working Sunday. The Augusta Common became the event's sole venue.

Sgt. Ashley said the pay issue was resolved when Mr. Walker produced $2,770 in cash, along with an $8,000 check to satisfy the $10,770 bill.

The $8,000 check came from the Recreation and Parks department, Sgt. Ashley said.

The festival continued until it closed at about 9 p.m. Mr. Walker waived the entry fee for the day.

Richmond County sheriff's Maj. Richard Weaver confirmed that some of his deputies had planned to walk from their security posts when word spread that they would not be paid.

Vendors said they were confused about the status of the festival early Sunday after hearing about a shut down.

"They told us to pack up and leave, but 10 to 15 minutes later, they said hold on," said Michael Tucker, an Atlanta sunglasses retailer. "Then they went on stage and said we were having still having it."

Nicole Hill, a Red Springs, N.C., leather-painting vendor, was visibly upset at Mr. Walker and displayed her outrage as Mr. Walker, on stage with Mayor Deke Copenhaver and Mayor Pro Tem Marion Williams, publicly assured patrons that the festival would go on.

Mrs. Hill took the microphone from Mr. Walker and expressed her anger. While she was talking, the sound was cut.

"Champ was talking about racial division in Augusta, but we have nothing to do with your political problems," Mrs. Hill said later.

"Had we known there was so much controversy surrounding this event, we could've made an informed decision on whether to come or not," said Terrence Hill, Mrs. Hill's husband. The couple said the festival cost them $10,000.

Keith Simmons, a Charleston food vendor, said he was instructed to shut down but wasn't going to do so until he got a clear answer.

"We figured it would be worked out, and it was," he said.

Amid the controversy surrounding the inaugural event, Mr. Walker said he considered the festival "a success."

"I said James Brown was going to perform, and he did," he said. "His performance displayed the diverse elements that our city can reflect, if we come together as one. Blacks, whites, it was a wonderful turnout. I think everyone enjoyed it."

Staff Writers Lindsay Wilkes-Edrington and Johnny Edwards contributed to this article.

Staff Writers Lindsay Wilkes-Edrington and Johnny Edwards contributed to this article.

Reach Timothy Cox at (706) 823-3217 or tim.cox@augustachronicle.com.