Evans man in critical condition after wreck

An 18-year-old Evans man was seriously injured Monday morning in a traffic accident on U.S. Highway 25 outside Statesboro, Ga.

John Paul Richardson, of Windmill Lane, was in critical condition at Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah, according to a hospital spokesman.

Mr. Richardson, a student at Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, was traveling south when his Ford F-150 truck veered into the median, said Sgt. First Class J.M. Lamb, the post commander of the Georgia State Patrol post in Statesboro.

Mr. Richardson overcorrected, swerved onto the right shoulder and into a ditch, where the truck flipped into a stand of trees, Sgt. First Class Lamb said.

Man passed out in road is struck, killed

A Hephzibah man who was passed out on Storey Mill Road was struck and killed by an oncoming car Saturday morning, police said.

Thomas V. Elmore, 56, of Hephzibah-McBean Road, was lying in the southbound lane when he was struck by a Nissan Maxima, according to Richmond County sheriff's Maj. Richard Weaver. A witness attempted to warn the oncoming driver that Mr. Elmore was in the roadway, Maj. Weaver said.

Traffic note

- A portion of Laney Walker Boulevard will be closed until Wednesday as crews install manholes for the sewer in the area. The closure is from Seventh Street to New Savannah Road, according to a Richmond County Engineering Department news release. Detours will be in place to guide motorists.

State's highest court tosses death penalty

The South Carolina Supreme Court has upheld a lower court's decision to throw out a death sentence against a man convicted of raping, torturing and killing a 72-year-old Aiken County woman 16 years ago.

The justices ruled 4-1 Monday in Columbia that 42-year-old Donney Council's lawyer should have done more than have his mother testify during the sentencing phase of his trial.

Authorities say Mr. Council raped Elizabeth Gatti in her home, then forced her to ingest cleaning fluids before killing her in October 1992. His conviction stands. The state attorney general's office said it will ask the court to reconsider its ruling.

GEORGIA

Sheriff admits taking truck, money for kids

SAVANNAH --- A longtime Georgia sheriff admitted in federal court Monday that he signed over a pickup seized from a drug suspect to himself and bought a TV for his home with money that was supposed to go to a children's drug education program.

Jeff Davis County Sheriff Jimmy Boatright pleaded guilty to federal charges of bank and wire fraud. An FBI investigation found he had taken ownership of the truck seized in a 2003 drug bust and the education funds. Sheriff Boatright later used the truck as collateral to secure a $16,518 bank loan for a relative.

By state law, Sheriff Boatright will be forced to resign. Chief U.S. District Judge William T. Moore Jr. released the 54-year-old on a $10,000 bond. No sentencing date is scheduled.

Police arrest Athens man in identity theft

ATHENS --- Local and federal authorities say they have cracked an identity-theft ring that cloned the credit cards of people in the Athens area, allowing thieves to go on a multistate shopping spree.

Athens-Clarke police and the U.S. Secret Service would not comment. At least three men have been arrested, one from Winterville and others from Atlanta and North Carolina.

According to a search warrant filed in Clarke County Superior Court, the scheme was run by Vikas Yadav from his Winterville home. He is suspected of gleaning customer credit card numbers while working at an Athens liquor store.

Authorities seized tens of thousands of dollars in goods when they searched his home, according to search warrants.

WHEN TO WATER

You can water today if your home address is an even number in Columbia and Richmond counties, which are under Level Two restrictions.

Watering is allowed from midnight to 10 a.m. on an even-odd system based on street address. No watering is allowed on Mondays.

ODD-NUMBERED ADDRESSES: Water on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

EVEN-NUMBERED ADDRESSES: Water on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

There are no water restrictions in South Carolina's Aiken, Edgefield, Barnwell and McCormick counties.

WAYS TO SAVE WATER

- Turn off the water while you shave and you can save more than 100 gallons a week

Source: wateruseitwisely.com