An Augusta man and a teenager have been arrested after reports of four people being mugged along Riverwalk Augusta on Tuesday night.
Police, however, say the incidents were isolated and that people shouldn't feel apprehensive about visiting the area.
"Had we not caught them, then I could see why people could feel like there is a problem," said Richmond County sheriff's Lt. Scott Peebles on Wednesday. "The riverwalk is no more susceptible to trouble than any other place downtown."
Sherman Nel Thomas, 19, of East Augusta Commons, and William Alfonzo Moody, 15, of East Espinosa Street, were arrested and charged with armed robbery involving both incidents Tuesday, Lt. Peebles said, adding that the arrests occurred within hours of the reported muggings.
Mr. Moody is being charged as an adult on the count of armed robbery and also faces charges of kidnapping, battery and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, police said.
Mr. Thomas is also charged with giving a false name, four counts of possession of a firearm and four counts of kidnapping.
In the first incident, two men told police they were robbed at gunpoint, one being struck several times in the face about 10:20 p.m. at the lower level of riverwalk near the water fountain, according to a sheriff's office report.
About 10 minutes later, two teens said the same suspects approached them with guns and took their cell phones as they were sitting on a riverwalk bench at Seventh Street. Lt. Peebles said the teens were then told to walk into the river.
Cathy Rose, the mother of one of the teen victims, said Tuesday's muggings make her feel less safe about the riverwalk.
"It's a shame. It's a beautiful place, but who wants to get shot?" she said. "Forget about statues. We need more lights down there. We need more patrols, more deputies there."
Lt. Peebles, however, said he feels police protection of the area is adequate.
He said it was because of deputies patrolling downtown streets and riverwalk on Tuesday that police were able to make a quick arrest near where the muggings occurred.
Reach Timothy Cox at (706) 823-3217 or tim.cox@augustachronicle.com.
Comments
Kudos to the Augusta police for the quick arrest of these two muggers. People will still feel uncomfortable when thinking of visiting the Riverwalk. Rapid and harsh sentences need to be dealt to these youngsters and the results need to be splashed on the newspaper and all over "urban" radio. "Get stupid on the Riverwalk and you disappear for life". The deterrent doesn't work unless the fools know it exists.
Homosexual activity goes on down there as well.
My girlfriend , and I walked upon two guys getting it own.
And they were doing more than kissing. Do I need to say more?
Richmond county police need to make their presence known after
10pm.
Homosexual activity goes on down there as well.
My girlfriend , and I walked upon two guys getting it own.
And they were doing more than kissing. Do I need to say more?
Richmond county police need to make their presence known after
10pm.
PDA is just as common in the hetero world, tigger, so lighten up a bit; there's no law against being gay (except maybe the law of nature - i'll leave that argument to others, though). regarding the muggers: the most frightening aspect of this is the fact that the thugs were armed. i'm all in favor of gov't support for the right to bear arms, but using weapons during the commission of a crime should result in the harshest possible punishment.
If you are gay, do oyour own thing in privacy not in the open, the Sheriff's Dept. can not catch all of them, but I sure wish they could, and cut them apart-that is the most disgusting thing for hetero to get it on in public but my God GAys----Shootem'
It's almost impossible to feel safe out anywhere because THUGS are everywhere and to protect ourself we have to have handguns and there is usually one or two of us and they come in four or more.
Enuff' said, I gotta go to work, because I am not a thug. I have to pay for them to live free!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And this report tells me it is safe once more to venture onto the RiverWalk why?....Not enough police to cover the area...In fact there would have to be an army of police to patrol in order to ease my mind as to the security of the place and we know that is an impossibility...Too many gangs not enough police equals no visitors to the RiverWalk or downtown in general...
jaschild says "lighten up a bit" about gays PDA, (Public Display of Affection). Because "PDA is just as common in the hetero world." What logic do you display? Thats a big part of the problem now. People "lightening-up." People need to "tighten-up" and demand that these "low-base philistines," whom have "no sense of decency" be prosecuted for public indecency and exposed for being the perverts they really are. Gay or straight, day or night, sex belongs behind closed doors. Officers, please enforce the law regardless of the offender's social, sexual, or political connection!
A good argument for permits to carry concealed weapons. If the victims had a concealed gum permit maybe the muggers would have been stoped in their tracks. It is a shame that good citizens will have to arm themselvs before thugs get the message that crime doesn't pay.
My husband and I were aggressively accosted by a panhandler on Broad Street at 11:30 a.m. while we were looking for a place to have lunch. Clean up downtown Augusta, Mayor Copenhaver. Make that a priority.
well the way the commissioners see it instead of using funds to hire more police to make downtown and the riverwalk more safe they figure by building a trolley, ellis street option, or a racetrack that the criminals will be scared off by the development and go somewhere else
People I know that we think that we should be able to go at any time we want to at night. Even the day time isn't safe anymore. River walk and walking the streets isn't the smart thing at night anymore. It isn't like 10 or 15 years ago. Parents even let their young children out on the streets after 9 o'clock. I'm talking about under 13 and when something happens everyone is responsible but the parents. The street that I live on 2 and3 o'clock in the morning young teenagers are walking around for what . THUDS STARTS MIGHTY EARLY ANYMORE!!
ladyfox, isn't a thud a loud thump?
I was at the Riverwalk yesterday with my children, letting them play in the water fountain. A rather large group of unattended to teenagers came along, some on bike some on foot. They were fighting, cursing loud and throwing paper all over the place. I decided to walk to the park with my children, as we were walking along the walkway to the park, one of them almost ran over us with his bike. He was going very fast, and though he tried to stop, he couldn't, I had to push my son into a bush so he woudln't get hit. The teenager on the bike turned around and apologized, so he did have some decency in him. I just think maybe out of all of those teenagers, a parent should have been with them.
If downtown developers are concerned about selling those expensive apts. downtown, then the city needs to start putting money where it really needs to go, and that is more patrols, more lights (along riverwalk and the commons) and controlling the bums, panhandlers and young ignorant punks who prey on the innocent. It won't be easy,but you have to start somewhere. Downtown is really a nice place to go, but the people want to feel safe when they're shopping, eating, walking, etc. HEY MR. MAYOR...LETS NOT DILLY DALLY AROUND!!
Why does sex belong behind closed doors exactly?
I am glad they caught them quickly, but there should be some preventive measures as people have stated. Are there any beat cops that walk around and talk to these kids on the street?
Look I am tired of you "straight" people saying how disgusting we gay people are! We have the same right to do what we do as you do! I have seen men and women going at it out in public and I have seen a same sex couple going at it. But Tigger you are about stupid because the article had nothing to do with someone have sexual relations, IT WAS ABOUT 4 PEOPLE GETTING MUGGED! OH BTW WERE GUEER AND HERE TO STAY!
It stinks down there when you go on the lower level, and the river is polluted, all that debris on the banks. All those Christmas trees in the water you can't even fish without being snagged. I stopped fishing there years ago, I remember when you could fish and fish and fish LOL. Oh and that's the only area were you can catch yellow belly perch.
ok moneyman you keep on pushing fudge dont get frustrated over a comment.us straight people just like ruffling the feathers of you peter puffers.
Hey moneyman we don't care, go back in the closet or padded cell were you belong. Being queer is a bad habit like picking your nose and eating it. A learned trait that should quickly forgotten. As for the muggers, one of these days the victim is going to be armed and I hope he drops them like a bad habit. It happened to someone I know, mugged by two guys while walking down the street. They beat him badly, but didn't realize he had a gun under his jacket strapped to his chest. As he was lying there in his own blood, reached into his jacket withdrew the gun and fired two shots. Dropping both of them were they stood, hovering over him. He spent the next two weeks in the hospital recovering from the beating but the two punks will never walk the same again.
Although it didn't say the ages of the teen victims, I wonder what they were doing on the RW at 10:30 at night? There aren't a lot of things for teens there at night. Anyway I am glad they caught the perps, but you will not catch me downtown at night regardless how safe they claim it is. Amazing we have money for cute little segeways and golf carts, but not enough for security. I would have thought cameras in the area would have been a better purchase, and I don't mean mega million dollar contraptions, like yhe ones sold at sams club.
These 2 thugs do not value life, have no conscience. I know crime is everywhere and at any time. But I will reduce my odds of being a victim by not going downtown unless security is beefed up!
I hope and pray that this neer happens to me anywhere that I might be. This is why I have a conceal carry permit and never leave home without it. I think all LAW abidding citizens should have one then maybe the thugs would think before they try to rob someone.
Sorry thats what I get for not reading before I sent. It should say "never" not neer
Why is it that if you are not a homo, you are called "straight". I prefer to be called "normal". About the muggings, I can't recall in recent history any news stories about assaults etc at River Walk. Broad Street yes, but it seems the RW has been pretty dang quite. Signed, A normal guy !
I must say, by having a gun on you and you are getting jack-up by some one, do you feel more in control, or you just want to retaliate because of what happen to you. I think it is good everybody can carry a gun but where do that put us? I am in the middle east and when you walk down the street knowing that you can or might be shot anytime or there is a weapon pointed at you, make me feel very nervous. I will shoot anybody that look like a treat. Is this the way you Americans want to feel at home? I think RCSD for the work they are doing, but as soon as one of these thugs get caught the defense lawyer get them back on the street. So what can we do about these low down defense lawyer that is doing all their might to demolish our neighbor hood? I think being gay is abomination, that is my opinion, I dont hate them, but God made us male and female.
i moved away from Augusta to avoid being robbed, shot, killed or all three combined. I also moved to avoid large groups of teens wandering around with their only intent being to intimidate people who are downtown or at the mall trying to spend money and have a good time. I moved to avoid being car jacked to avoid having my car broken into, to avoid my car being vandalized or stolen, and to avoid listening to a litany of obscene language from children and adults alike. I moved to avoid living in a city where you can get bootleg DVDs at the corner filling station the same place that will, for a fee, fix your stolen cellphone so the thief can use it. I moved to a place where most children have two parents who care about them and keep up with what they are doing and question where the new cellphone, iPod, GPS unit and money came from. I live a much more relaxed life today than I did when i lived in Augusta-Richmond County.
I agree with anything voluptuously auburn says!
Moneyman, just so you know, not all of us straight people reading this are homophobic morons. This is a free country. You are what you are, and no one has the right to condemn you.
ac, can we please see the mugshots of these people so we can identify them when they get out of prison???
The Augusta Chronicle ©2012. All Rights Reserved.
