Why was the gang member out of jail in the first place? Enforce the laws and keep these criminals off the streets....
Car's camera confirmed broken
The Georgia State Patrol confirmed Tuesday that a video dash-camera inside a patrol car during a fatal crash Saturday had ceased operating two days before the wreck.
Lt. Donnie Smith, of the patrol's Thomson Post, said the broken camera had been reported to sheriff's supervisors Feb. 28. Repair records confirmed the defective equipment. Checking the video equipment is part of an ongoing investigation by the state patrol, he said.
The sheriff said Monday that the deputy's dashboard video camera was not operating correctly the night of the chase. Laura Latimer, 42, of Augusta, died when a Chevrolet Blazer chased by Deputy Anthony Gregory struck the car she was riding in at the intersection of Gordon Highway and Old Savannah Road. The deputy was pursuing 19-year-old Jamie Lee Clark, of Jackson, who authorities say pulled off after being stopped for running a traffic light. In a recording of the radio chatter, the deputy was told twice by a supervisor to "break off" the chase.
In response to a request from The Augusta Chronicle , sheriff's Sgt. Pat Young of the Internal Affairs Division provided information showing that Deputy Gregory has faced two disciplinary infractions for sleeping on the job. He was suspended four days last spring and is under 12 months' probation, to expire in May.
Man out on bond is arrested during stop
A man out on bond on a 24-count indictment related to a November shooting in the Jennings Place housing development was arrested early Tuesday on drug and theft charges.
Darrell Floyd Willingham, 20, of 3952 Conniston Drive, was arrested during a traffic stop near Amsterdam Drive, according to Richmond County jail records. Arrested with Mr. Willingham was 17-year-old Rodriquez Hall, of 3635 London Blvd. Both men face possession of marijuana, possession of alprazolam and theft by receiving property. Mr. Willingham also faces several traffic charges. An AK-47 rifle was found covered with a shirt in the back seat of the car, according to sheriff's Investigator Paul Godden. Both men are considered members of the Augusta-based O-Dub gang, Investigator Godden said.
Canal Authority gets grant to study trails
The Augusta Canal Authority will receive a $35,672 grant from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources' Recreational Trails Program.
The funds, part of $2 million distributed this week to 17 recipients across the state, will be used to conduct an assessment of trail conditions and needs within the Augusta Canal National Heritage Area.
Funding for the Recreational Trails Program comes from the Federal Highway Administration. The Department of Natural Resources administers the grant program under guidance of the federal agency. Recipients are required to provide at least 20 percent of the cost of the project.
New signs will warn of fish, swimming danger
South Carolina authorities are investing $50,000 in signs to alert anglers and swimmers to advisories for mercury in fish and other hazards.
"The signs are to increase awareness about eating the right types and safe amounts of fish or because water sampling has shown fecal coliform bacteria levels above approved limits in those waters," said David Wilson, chief of the Department of Health and Environmental Control's Bureau of Water.
The 400 signs should be installed in six to eight weeks. For details, call (800) 360-5655 or visit www.scdhec.gov/advisory.
Attorneys explain use of tax allocation districts
Augusta commissioners got a lesson Tuesday on how they can redevelop depressed areas of the city by creating Tax Allocation Districts, or TADs.
The way it works is that in the year a city or county creates a TAD the tax base is frozen in that district. Then any increased income in that district from higher taxes or new development can be put into a special fund and used to reimburse a developer for permitted expenditures, said Steven J. Labovitz, of McKenna Long & Aldridge attorneys.
Permitted redevelopment expenses include infrastructure, transportation costs, demolition, water and sewer, and parking facilities. Planning Commission Director George Patty identified four areas in Augusta where TADS could be created -- part of downtown west to Eve Street in Harrisburg and south to Wrightsboro Road, including Laney-Walker Boulevard; Regency Mall; Windsor Spring, Tobacco and Deans Bridge roads; and an area in west Augusta around Interstate 20 and River Watch Parkway. Commissioners will meet again within two weeks for further study.
Rezoning of former fire station approved
The Columbia County Commission agreed Tuesday to a rezoning of land that once housed an Appling fire station.
Commissioners voted 4-0 to rezone about a half-acre at 2733 Louisville Road from special use to a residential/agricultural zoning. Commissioner Ron Thigpen recused himself because of a working relationship he shares with the property owner.
Bill Jones, a resident of a nearby subdivision, asked that county officials make sure the property complies with zoning requirements. In the recent past, Mr. Jones said, it had been used to repair numerous vehicles. Most vehicles have since been removed and repair work has ceased, a county code enforcement official said. John West, a lawyer for the land owner, said the station will be a guest home.
Want to earn a diploma? Registration is today
Richmond County Evening School is holding registration.
Any adult who has dropped out of high school and wants to work toward a diploma can contact the school at (706) 731-8805 from 12:30 to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday. Registration will be from 3:30 to 6 p.m. today at the school, 3015 Walton Way.
A copy of a school transcript is required for registration. A transcript can be obtained from the school board office by calling (706) 826-1000.
-- From staff reports
Comments
Why was the gang member out of jail in the first place? Enforce the laws and keep these criminals off the streets....
Letting these "people" our speaks volumes for our justice system. These criminals are either going to disappear or they will just commit more crimes. Something needs to be done with the justice system that has gone so far around the bend for the rights of the criminal that the victim is for the most part (99.9%)does not even enter into the equation.
Where will the fish/swimming advisory signs be put? The web site doesn't say.
Exactly what school are you talking about... You say the school...what school. Is it a secret and we have to call "The School" to find out??????
Also why does the obituaires have the names of some people printed twice...This has been going on for weeks. Does the chronicle not proofread before printing..Someone is not doing their job....Not real important but not real professional either.
Exactly what school are you talking about... You say the school...what school. Is it a secret and we have to call "The School" to find out??????
Also why does the obituaires have the names of some people printed twice...This has been going on for weeks. Does the chronicle not proofread before printing..Someone is not doing their job....Not real important but not real professional either.
Everyone has the opportunity to receive a bond when they are arrested? What "people" are you referring to un-christian134????
According to The Aiken Standard, the "signs have been, or will be posted, at the Savannah River, the South Fork Edisto River, Vaucluse Pond, Flat Rock Pond and Langley Pond".
Why isn't SC and GA spending this money ($50,000.00) and more on CLEANING UP the fecal coliform bacteria level that is above approved limits in those waters?
if you gang is odub you should be white and Irish.
What is the source of the fecal coliform bacteria?
"The school" is the Richmond County Evening School, exactly as it is stated in the first paragraph. That is the name of the school. It used to be located at Josey High School, but it is now located in the old Forest Hills Elementary School building.
The Deputy needs to be charged with the exact same crime that the driver of the other car is facing...if he was told twice to break off the chase...and the chase was just for running a red light? This womans life is over because of the carelessness and "Cowboyism" of today's police...I guess he watch too many shows on TruTV or Spike...if these cops start serving jail time for killing people in useless chases, I can assure you they will stop...also the Sheriffs Department is look at shelling out several million dollars for this dumb cops mistake...as a tax payer I am angry...why is this cop not in jail?
uknownow, I suspect from your post that you're a competent headline reader, but seem to lack the ability to assimilate available information. 1-pursuit of criminals is part of a policeman's job 2-the radios in a police car while a siren is blaring during a chase is not as clear as those you hear while watching TruTV or Spike 3-had the criminal not fled, no chase would have occurred. Now, as an angry tax payer, maybe you should ask if the fleeing driver (who was DUI) would have killed someone even without a chase. Or do you contend, as you imply, that the fault is just with the deputy? Seems like you may have some police issues of your own.
I find it highly suspect that the video camera allegedly was inoperable. This is a highly important investigative tool for any patrol vehicle. It is also a system with easily interchangeable components. From front to back all components can be easily swapped. Also, law enforcement has been effectively chasing criminals with sirens for years and they do fine receiving updates about locations and descriptions while sirens are blaring.
There is definitely a smell to this whole thing that is not right. This poor ladies death only makes it 1000 times worse.
Willingham was out on bond. Conniston is in Butler Manor in S. Augusta.
Opal, if you're white and irish, you gang would be the "Westies" or the IRA.
Once in never out, Erin Go Bragh!!
Let me address this to UKNOWNOW evidently you have never needed any of these cowboy policeman as you call them or maybe you are one of the lawbreakers that needs to be in jail,I don't know !,but for you to be talking like this you must have some police issues,you don't know what happened you wasn't setting behind the wheel of that police car,the only person that can answer that is the deputy that was driving.
uknow--you are an idiot. That's all there is to it. How many times have you been to jail? If you follow the law like you post, probably four times.
Bing0--the parts are not as easily changed as you think. He found out it was broken on the 28th--a Thursday--probably at night. The shops that fix the police equipment are not open on weekends. Do you think, with the budget shortfall in Richmond County, that they have spare cameras, cables, recorders, and techs just sitting around waiting for something to break? You are also an idiot.
UH, I see today that more people are suffering from those brain maggots. Uknownow seems to be suffering from a critical and maybe fatal case!
change display name - I am an idiot? That is certainly an opinion.
I am also a Data Network Engineer. And I, in fact do think that they have spare parts in inventory for these devices. If they have one spare car even, then they have spare parts. But I digress. To call someone an idiot on such scant evidence belies a foundational ignorance often seen in threads such as these in this newspaper.
Perhaps the Augusta Chronicle should have called the GSP before they published the article about the camera yesterday and caused an uproar.
One of the least pleasant parts of operating within a social structure is the enforcement of laws by a designated agency. Without it, there'd be no structure. This is one of the circles of life. It also gives BingO and uknownow the opportunity to carp any time they wish.
there is no 3952 conniston drive. the address numbers don't even go that far, but there is a 2852 conniston drive. that's probably what they meant!!!!!!
FYI....approximately 1 in 5 RCSO deputies have cameras in their car. There are NO spare camera parts laying around. (RCSO does not work on the cameras, they contract this work out.) Spare cars do not have cameras at all nor do they have spare parts. It is very common for a patrol car to have a camera that is broken due to the budget restrictions.
opal, that was funny. LOL.
Amazed and farfrompuken101. The reason is this address, Conniston Drive, is in Hephzibah, not Augusta. I always wonder why we are led to believe so many addresses are in Augusta and I check them because I am not familiar with the roads and discover, well, no wonder, this is another Hephzibah address, yet again. For example, over and over we have been told the Operation Ink operation was at a tattoo parlor in South Augusta. It was not. The address for that tattoo parlor is in Hephzibah and there is no city named South Augusta, unless someone has arbitrarily renamed Hephzibah, South Augusta. I too, am wondering what the correct address is, since the #'s only go up to 3004, which doesn't allow for a 3952.
pantherluvik you just are to something for words....I clearly said the justice system needs to be reworked did I not? So what is it that I said that is confusing..:) As far as what people---those people that are likely to commit crimes again and again and again particularly those who have indictments on them for murder or say those that molest children are.......you get the idea...come on now...you do ,,,I know you do :-)
Patricia Thomas thank you kindly for grouping me with unknownnow.
I do not think it is warranted in light of the fact that I only said that it seemed suspicious. I have contacted the Sheriff's Office to try and find out exactly how many vehicles have cameras in them as I do not believe it is 1 out of 5.
I just got off the phone with the Augusta-Richmond County Fleet Maintenance division and they report that all cars with outside lights have camera systems in them. 1 out of 5 is a bogus statistic.
I should not have to defend myself for posting an objective observation. But...this is Augusta.
I am suspicious too. Look where the chase began. Look where it ended. Why didn't the deputy call for back-up during all that time? Of couse, I'll wait for investigation, but it looks like we may have a hot-head deputy on our hands.
BingO, well said. My apologies for grouping you with anyone based on one statement. While you were on the phone, did you ask if there was an inside-the-car recorder so they could verify the deputies statement? I've been in a squad car during a pursuit. There's a lot going on. It's also easy for another officer to step on someones reception. Especially in the heat of the moment.
The deputy had backup for all you monday morning police, as a matter of fact there was another deputy right behind the first deputy as they entered onto gordon highway from broad street. Why would someone go as far as to call RCSO to find out how many cars have cameras? That is a little obsessive compulsive in my opinion and unless your title had you involved in this investigation you should let the correct people do their jobs and not think you are an expert on something you do not deal with on a daily basis. Regardless if their is a camera or not what is that going to prove if you have a video of the accident? That has nothing to do with the deputy hearing the instructions. Do you think the victims family wants to see the accident over and over on the news?
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