Monday, March 15, 2010

Across the area

County denies club's request

Augusta commissioners refused to allow the owner of a Washington Road nightclub to withdraw his request to transfer his liquor license to a new club on Damascus Road.

Commissioners also voted to revoke the business and alcohol licenses for Club Dreams at 3023 Washington Road.

Attorneys for owner Marion R. Rosier asked commissioners to allow him to withdraw his request, which would have kept the record from reflecting that Mr. Rosier's transfer had been denied or that a license had been revoked if he should apply again after 12 months.

The Richmond County Sheriff's Office asked commissioners to deny the licenses because of a shooting outside the club in February and two more Christmas Day in addition to 488 calls the sheriff's office has received about the club in the past two years. Commissioners put the club on probation for noise violations in November.

Former school janitor convicted for abuse

A jury convicted a former school custodian of child molestation Tuesday.

Earnest Rhodes, 65, will be sentenced this morning in Richmond County Superior Court.

The victim testified that Mr. Rhodes raped her repeatedly, beginning when she was 10 years old. She gave birth to his child three years later. Mr. Rhodes was indicted in March when a DNA test linked him to the baby.

Teen accused in rape of 54-year-old woman

An Evans teenager is in police custody after being accused of raping a 54-year-old mute woman.

Michael Alvin Hawes, of the 4500 block of Cox Road, was charged with one felony count of rape, according to a Richmond County sheriff's report.

The victim's sister told police she arrived at the victim's home Monday afternoon to find her crying and pointing to her backside, the report stated. Through a series of questions, the victim's sister was able to determine that Mr. Hawes had raped her, according to the report.

While deputies were questioning the victim and her sister, Mr. Hawes reportedly arrived on the scene and was arrested. Mr. Hawes later admitted to having sex with the victim but said she initiated the contact, something the victim later denied.

Man exposed himself at eatery, police say

Police arrested a man Monday who they say exposed himself at an Augusta fast food restaurant.

Daniel Lanham, 46, was charged with public indecency after being accused of exposing himself near the back door of Wendy's at 2738 Washington Road, according to a Richmond County sheriff's report.

When a deputy spoke with Mr. Lanham, he said he was "urinating and brushing his teeth," the report stated.

Part of Camellia Road to be closed for repair

A portion of Camellia Road will have daily closures while crews replace a water main, according to the Richmond County Engineering Department.

The closure will be between Walton Way and Lake Forest Drive. From Thursday to Monday, the portion of the road will be closed from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Coast Guard band to perform in Augusta

The U.S. Coast Guard Band will perform at 7 p.m. Jan. 24 at First Baptist Church of Augusta.

There is no cost to attend, but tickets are required. A maximum of four tickets can be requested.

For tickets, visit any branch of Georgia Bank and Trust, the Augusta Metro and Columbia County chambers of commerce, the Fort Gordon Federal Credit Union or First Baptist Church of Augusta.

A self-addressed, stamped envelope also can be sent to Thom Tuckey, CSRA Alliance, P.O. Box 670, Augusta, GA 30903-0670.

For more information, call Mr. Tuckey at (706) 821-1312.

WWII veterans project begins at ASU campus

World War II veterans who want to be interviewed for the Augusta Richmond County Historical Society's Veterans History Project should schedule an appointment by calling Fred Gehle project coordinator, at (706) 738-8242.

The program collects and preserves firsthand wartime experiences through video and audio interviews. The veterans' stories will be submitted to the Library of Congress for inclusion in an online database.

Interviews take about 2 hours and a separate interview is scheduled for each participant.

Fort Discovery to hold electronics recycling

Electronic items and glass can be recycled between 9 a.m. and noon Jan. 26 at Fort Discovery, 1 Seventh St.

Acceptable items include computers, fax machines, scanners, pagers, digital cameras and cell phones. Unacceptable items include televisions and microwave ovens.

Admission to the event, sponsored by the CSRA Environmental Science Education Cooperative, is free. For more information, call (706) 821-0224.

Sweetheart Ball 2008 scheduled for Feb. 9

The Sergeants Major Association at Fort Gordon will hold Sweetheart Ball 2008 at the Gordon Club at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 9.

The theme for this year's event is "Hero's Heart." The evening will include entertainment, dining, dancing and door prizes. Live music will be provided by Deja Vu. The evening will also feature a comedian and a DJ.

The dress is business casual. Tickets for the event, which is open to the public, cost $25 per person.

To purchase tickets or for more information, call (706) 791-3166, (706) 288-9823 or (706) 793-7762.

Man held on felony statutory rape charge

An Augusta man remained behind bars Tuesday on a felony statutory rape charge.

Dominique Eugene Cain, 23, of Formosa Drive, was arrested Monday, according to Richmond County jail records. A Richmond County sheriff's report said a 13-year-old girl's mother told police Mr. Cain had sex with her daughter at his home.

The girl told police the act, which reportedly occurred in November, was consensual.

-- From staff reports

Comments

ANGEL

OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!!! a 54 year old handicapped lady was raped by a teenager in Columbia County!!!!!! This young man does not deserve to ever get out of jail!! He needs to be placed behind bars for a long time but knowing the system if he is under the age of 17 he will only serve time until he is 18 and than he will get out and do it again. I hope and pray he gets more jail time for hurting this lady and they do the same thing to him while he is in JAIL.

grizzilies

The laws benefit the young and crinimals. Underage, do a crime get cleared at 18. Go to jail get a college degree. But the public and victims are the ones that pay for the crime. Need to get back to the old days. The future does not look good.

Ushouldnthave

A complaint to police every 1.5 days for two years (if club Hood was open every night) and their just getting shut down? I think its time we annex Augusta into South Carolina and see if they can do something with it.

DoubleD

I watched on the news Monday night that club Dreams had their license pulled for serving underage patrons. I guess the news is reported differently based on the source.

basedonmerit

I heard on the Radio on the way to work this morning that the 54 yr old woman was the culprit's great Aunt. SICK!

thereishope

What are the Commissioners trying to do? Get Augusta Club FREE! Get real! Crime is out there, no matter what!

deekster

ASU has now decided to interview WWII veterans. Does ASU have a math department? Veterans of WWII are 80+ years old folks. The AC is filled with obits each day. ASU also plans to interview Korean Vets in 2050 and Kennedy Assaination witnesses in 2060. It does however cut down on the number of interviews available. Even our omnipotent government knows that 73 years is the correct timeframe for those involved to be deceased.

deekster

What is the zoning on Cox Rd? "Anything Goes-5".

getitright1

What is up with the soft porn ads on the Augusta Chronicle website??? I REALLY do not want to see some chick's a** while trying to read the news!! Is the Chronicle that hard up for money that they have to sell these sleazy ads???

Rupret in the middle east

Now back to the gun issue yesterday, some of you think carrying a gun is cool and you need it for protection. Take a look at club dreams, how many of the people go there are thinking that they need protection and they have a weapon on them and as soon as a little miss understanding happen gun are drawn and people are hurt. When you are out and about in public to have fun, have fun with out a weapon. If you feel you need a weapon on you in public I think you need help. If any one see a person in public with a weapon they should call 911 and report it. Club dreams need to be close down for ever.

rufus

I can't find the sleazy ads

Little Lamb

Can anybody tell me why the electronics recycle event will accept computer monitors but will not accept televisions? Don't they both recycle just the same?

charlesmanson

brushing his teeth and urinating at the same time behind wendy's? so where does he live in the dumpster? am i missing something here or does anyone else walk around with a tooth brush in their pocket? ah atleast he has a home now with running water,and free toothpaste, and tooth brushes.only in america can one be rewarded for being nothing but a bag of s..t.

freeshy2006

That's great, shut down all the clubs so these kids will have nowhere to go and then they'll start hanging out in the streets, and with nothing to do they'll find something! A few hundred people went to that club on Friday and Saturday nights, now there will be a few hundred people up to no good because they have nothing else to do. They can't go to Super C's, soon no more 1102, no more Dreams, I guess they'll see they're not fixing the problem by closing these places down when the crime rate goes WAY up. Now instead of 1 random shooting there will be 10 every weekend!!!

shivas

Goergia has a law that juveniles 13 and over can be charged as adults for certain crimes. I believe rape is one of those.

gama40

charlieyonce, I was wondering the same thing - that is just too dog gone funny and outright strange...maybe the reporter was having a slow day??

patriciathomas

Little Lamb, the monitors have different components then televisions. Much of the recycling is salvaging electronics.

Archibald Pumpernickel

"Shoot 'em all and let God sort 'em out"!

Archibald Pumpernickel

Seriously, I don't understand why people just can't go out and have some fun without all of this drama. When you go out to a club, you are suppose to be having fun and not fighting, aurguring and shooting at each other.

JackReacher

The rape occurred in Richmond County. The Hawes kid lives in Evans. Rape is one of the 7 Deadly Sin charges which allow a juvenile defendant to be adjudicated in Superior Court. Just a note to the Chronicle, Rape is always a felony, there's no misdemeanor provision for forcible rape.

MartinezWest Augusta

Haha a evans teenager is a rapist. There were 20 rapes in 2007 in columbia county. And they didn't cover one on the news. I guess because nbc did a story on this rape. The evans chronicle had to. But back to the club i agree. Why punish everybody because of a few knuckleheds. I have been to club dreams before. And its not a hood club at all hardcorp. I think because you think its mostly black. Thats why you said that. I notice when they had the big fight at the white club downtown. Nobody wants to close it though. But the white leaders get scared when they think of rap music at a club. And want to close it down. Its funny because the same people will complain about the mall. These kids will hang out at the mall. Because its nothing to do in augusta. No clubs, no water parks, no amusement parks, nothing at all. Give me a break. In las vegas, new york, or chicago. When there is a shooting, do they closed down the clubs. Of course not. Thats because they voted out the good ole boy along time ago. Unlike augusta. Don't want to deal with the problem. Just closed down the clubs.

DoubleD

Freeshy2006 has the answer to world peace!! Based of what he/she said, "A few hundred people went to that club on Friday and Saturday nights, now there will be a few hundred people up to no good because they have nothing else to do," what the world needs is just a whole lot of nightclubs! All I can do is shake my head. I have never been compelled to commit crime in Augusta because I cannot go to a nightclub. Read a book, read a book, read a #%&#&#@^Book! This is a message straight from BET: Loading from page: http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=113...

It was offensive to some, but it does give a suggestion as to what you can do vs. committing crime because you don't have a club to go to.

TINKERBELLE0330

whats happening to 1102 freeshy?!!?

GSneed

There were 20 rapes in 2007 in Columbia County, and not one was covered on the news? Wow, that's a huge discrepancy vs. Richmond County. What's the reason for that?

Told ya

Happiness is a warm gun Happiness is a warm gun, momma When I hold you in my arms And I feel my finger on your trigger I know nobody can do me no harm Because happiness is a warm gun, momma Happiness is a warm gun -Yes it is. Happiness is a warm, yes it is... Gun! SHOOT, SHOOT, BANG, BANG, Well don't ya know that happiness is a warm gun, momma? -Beatles

Why

Does anyone agree that our local tv weather forecasters are pathetic???

scoobasteve

my gun stays warm because it;s tucked in my waistband. Hopefully I will never have to draw it to save a hippie's sorry ass, but if the time ever arose, youd be surprised at how many of your fellow civilians carry a gun for "just in case" moments. I'll never show it to you, never tell you about it, never brag about it. I'll just carry mine, and let you choose not to carry.

JustTheFactsMaam

jonnneee......Are you kidding? You comparing a fight to a shooting. Answer one thing, why are all the club shootings at black clubs and absolutely NONE at white clubs? Think about that.

Were you Spotted?