Woman says brother held her hostage
Aiken authorities are looking for a 45-year-old man accused of holding his sister hostage early Friday morning at their home.
Michael A. McKinney, of the 100 block of Wallace Green Street, is facing charges of kidnapping and assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature.
According to the Aiken County Sheriff's Office, Mr. McKinney's 49-year-old sister, Loretta, called for help from a neighbor's home sometime after 1 a.m.
She told investigators that her brother had tied her hands and feet with an electrical cord and put her on a sofa, punching and kicking her in the head. He later untied her feet, which allowed her to escape, according to the agency.
A police report states that Ms. McKinney told investigators that her brother wanted money from her and threatened to kill her when she said she didn't have any.
Mr. McKinney is described as a black male who is 5 feet, 8 inches tall and 180 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.
Anyone with information about his location is asked to call Investigator Lynn Ghant at (800) 922-9709 or Crimestoppers of the Midlands at (888) 559-TIPS to be eligible for a cash reward.
Teen admits making threat
A 14-year-old Jackson Middle School pupil pleaded guilty to one count of disturbing schools and one count of a bomb threat Thursday, according to Assistant Solicitor Serena McDaniel, who prosecutes family court cases for the 2nd Judicial Circuit.
Ms. McDaniel said the teenager said he only made the first threat Tuesday, but there would not be an investigation to look for another caller for a subsequent threat Wednesday.
Area 5 Assistant Superintendent Dr. Randy Stowe said the two bomb threats kept pupils out of class for about three hours this week.
The teenager will go through a psychological work-up at the Midland's Evaluation Center at the Department of Juvenile Justice in Columbia. He will have a sentencing hearing in about 35 days.
The teenager is also up for school expulsion.
Man arrested after holding two hostage
A Burke County man has been arrested after a lengthy standoff and hostage situation in Midville.
Ryan Edward Pernack, 19, of Midville, faces kidnapping and other charges after holding his ex-girlfriend and her young sister against their will for nearly seven hours, police said.
The incident started at 10 p.m. Wednesday after police said Mr. Pernack kicked in the back door of the 18-year-old woman's apartment in Midville, and used a butcher knife to hold her and her 5-year-old sister against their will.
The Richmond County S.W.A.T. Team entered the home at about 4 a.m. Thursday after lengthy negotiations and used bean bag bullets to subdue Mr. Pernack. He also has been charged with rape and aggravated assault.
Deputy keeps car from rolling into classroom
A Richmond County sheriff's deputy prevented a car from hitting a portable classroom occupied by 23 pupils at Spirit Creek Middle School in Hephzibah on Thursday morning, according to a sheriff's police report.
The driver, Jimmy Kyler Jr., of the 2400 block of Patrick Avenue in Hephzibah, was arrested and charged with disrupting public school, obstruction of an officer and reckless conduct, the Richmond County sheriff's report said.
The incident began at 10:41 a.m. when Mr. Kyler fled from authorities in an Oldsmobile Cutlass and drove onto school property at 4044 Windsor Spring Road, the sheriff's report said.
At the school Mr. Kyler's vehicle struck a baseball field fence and continued moving after he jumped from the car and ran.
As the car rolled toward a portable classroom, a deputy jumped into the driver's seat and threw the automobile into park.
Only 3 attend meeting of Coliseum Authority
A Coliseum Authority meeting Friday, where grievances about the planning for the James Brown Arena sign unveiling were expected to be aired, failed to convene. Only three board members showed up to the meeting, which is an insufficient number to reach a quorum.
Dr. Wayne Frazier, Janice Jenkins, and Joe Scott were the three who attended, but said they didn't know why the meeting was called.
However, Coliseum Authority Chairman Harry Moore, who didn't attend the meeting, said the group present specifically asked for the meeting so he scheduled it.
He said he couldn't attend because he was in Atlanta on business.
What he said he expected to be heard at the meeting was complaints about the unveiling ceremony's arrangements and possible talk of postponing the celebration.
"I think they're not very happy with the program because they don't have a bigger role, that's what I'm assuming," he said.
Cancellation wasn't a possibility, he explained, because James Brown, who is slated to appear at the ceremony, could only do the event Monday. Celebrations begin at the arena at 5:30 p.m.
Two men rob video store, assault worker
A Hephzibah video store was robbed Thursday night, according to a Richmond County sheriff's police report.
An employee of the Video Warehouse at 3808 Woodlake Drive said two men entered the business at 11:07 p.m., one pointing a silver revolver at him as they pushed him to the floor and kicked him several times in the legs and back as they took the cash from the register, the police report said.
Both of the men, who the employee said reeked of marijuana, were captured on the store's video surveillance system, the police report said.
Ex-clerk is indicted on embezzlement charges
A former Burnettown clerk was indicted this week on charges that she stole more than $4,000 from the town last year.
Elizabeth Darden, 38, of the 200 block of Kaolin Drive in Aiken, was arrested last October by agents from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and charged with embezzlement of public funds.
Ms. Darden, who has several aliases, is also facing five other charges stemming from an unrelated arrest in November 2004, including four counts of forgery and one count of breach of trust.
Disabled girl is taken from unsanitary home
A 12-year-old disabled girl was taken into emergency protective custody this week after school aides discovered roaches crawling from her diaper and wheelchair, according to a police report.
Officers with the Aiken Department of Public Safety visited the child's Sommer Avenue Northeast home and found that she had been living in squalor, the report states.
The child, a special needs child with several physical and mental impairments, was sleeping in a bed with dirty, urine-soaked sheets with roaches crawling on them.
The rest of the home was in similar condition, with soiled carpets, an unsanitary bathroom and more roaches.
The child's mother refused to cooperate with officers, who also seized four malnourished dogs from the residence, according to the report.
Lt. David Turno, spokesman for the agency, said the matter is still under investigation.
Teen is accused of making bomb threat
An Aiken teen was arrested Friday on charges that he made a bomb threat at Silver Bluff high School earlier this week.
Melvin J. McLeod, 17, of Broadway Street in Aiken, was charged with felony conveying false information regarding attempted use of a destructive device.
The Silver Bluff senior was arrested during second period at the school Friday morning. According to the sheriff's office, Mr. McLeod placed a hand-written note in a classroom on Monday.
The school was evacuated for several hours while authorities searched the buildings.
Mr. McLeod was booked into the Aiken County Detention Center and was being held on $10,000 bond.
Dr. Randy Stowe, Area 5 assistant superintendent, said Mr. McLeod will be expelled.
Man says robber used brick to threaten him
An Augusta man said he was robbed of a coat, food and radio by an individual in Augusta on Thursday, according to a Richmond County Sheriff's Office report.
The man said he was at the intersection of Second and Walker streets when a man approached him and took the items from him while threatening him with a brick, the police report said.
Man says he was shot at while sitting in car
A Blythe, Ga., resident notified law enforcement officials that unknown individuals shot at him as he sat in his vehicle at a friend's Augusta residence Thursday night, according to a Richmond County Sheriff's Office report.
The man said he was parked at the residence on the 2300 block of Barton Chapel Road at 11:02 p.m. when the strangers ran up to his vehicle and fired at him, striking another vehicle's hood and windshield, the police report said.
A woman who resides at the location was parked behind the man and witnessed the incident before she called authorities, the police report said.
The suspects were last seen running toward London Boulevard, the police report said.
The woman began to drive the man to Doctors Hospital, but her vehicle ran out of fuel before they reached their destination, and another individual took the man to the hospital, the police report said.
The man was treated and released from the hospital's emergency room, according to hospital officials.
Candidate reports theft of 3 campaign signs
A school board candidate reported that someone stole three campaign signs from the front yard of an Augusta residence near the candidate's home Thursday, according to a Richmond County Sheriff's Office report.
Lauretta Gordon said the individual took the signs, each worth $6, from the location on the 2700 block of Devereux Drive sometime between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., the police report said.
Vehicle is reported stolen from hospital
An individual told authorities that a vehicle was stolen from an Augusta hospital on Thursday, Oct. 5, according to a Richmond County Sheriff's Office report.
The individual said a silver 2007 Jeep Cherokee was stolen from University Hospital, located at 1350 Walton Way, sometime between 3:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., the police report said.
Woman gets hit after answering front door
An Augusta woman told police when she answered a knock at her front door on Oct. 3 a man struck her, according to a Richmond County Sheriff's Office report.
The woman, a resident of the Hatcher Trailer Park on the 2000 block of Wylds Road, said the incident occurred at about 8 p.m. and after the man struck her on the face he said, "We don't want no '50' or narcs around here," before he left the scene, the police report said.
Cleanup organization is seeking volunteers
Volunteers are needed for the annual Rivers Alive Community Waterways Cleanup from 9 a.m. to noon on Oct. 21.
Cleanup crews plan to remove trash and debris from Betty's Branch, Butler Creek, Euchee Creek, Horse Creek, Jones Creek, Lake Olmstead, the Augusta Canal, Rae's Creek, Reed Creek, Rocky Creek, Savannah River, and Spirit Creek.
All volunteers will receive a Rivers Alive T-shirt and invitations to the celebration picnic for their participation in the cleanup.
For more information, or to volunteer, contact Frank Carl at Savannah Riverkeeper Inc. at (706) 364-5253.
Closures are planned for parts of parkway
Temporary lane closures will occur for a portion of Jimmie Dyess Parkway from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Oct. 24, according to a county government release.
The closures will take place from where Jimmy Dyess intersects with West Maysfield Drive to its intersection with Belair Frontage Road and Park West Drive.
The closures will reduce northbound traffic to one inside lane. Vehicles in the area will need to merge left.
The closures are needed for the installation of new sewer lines and new connections with an existing sewer line, the release states.
The Augusta Chronicle ©2012 Morris Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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