Man charged with murder in stabbing

Richmond County deputies charged an Augusta man with murder Sunday night.

Crawford James Jackson stabbed Phillip Scott in the abdomen on Friday, according to Richmond County jail records. Mr. Scott died Sunday morning at Medical College of Georgia Hospital.

The murder charge was added to the original charge of aggravated assault. Mr. Jackson was being held in the Richmond County jail without bond.

Woman reports rape by unknown assailant

A Hephzibah woman told police she was raped on Lock and Dam Road in Augusta last week.

The woman said a man she didn't know approached her vehicle and distracted her by calling out her son's name.

The attacker, who was wearing stockings over his face, forced the woman out of her vehicle and raped her about 7:45 p.m. Aug. 4, she said.

The woman said she didn't report the attack until Saturday night for personal reasons, but she said she did want to prosecute.

Boy accidentally kills himself with handgun

A 14-year-old Martinez boy accidentally shot himself in the head Saturday night while playing with a handgun, Columbia County Coroner Vernon Collins said.

Richard Mixon, 14, of Inverness Way in the West Lake subdivision, died a little after 10 p.m., Mr. Collins said. He is the son of area attorney John L. Mixon III and Mary Mixon.

The rising Lakeside High School ninth-grader and three friends were at his Martinez home while his parents were away, said Columbia County sheriff's Capt. Steve Morris. The boys were playing with a Smith & Wesson .38-caliber handgun.

"I don't think the young man intentionally took his life," Mr. Collins said.

2 intruders force way into woman's house

Two armed intruders forced their way into a home on Sumac Drive in south Augusta early Sunday, according to a Richmond County sheriff's report.

When the homeowner opened her front door shortly after midnight, one of the intruders fired into the air and entered the house, according to a Richmond County police report.

After searching a bedroom, the intruders took the woman's cell phone and ordered her and two other women into a bathroom.

Police search upsets crowd, brings arrests

Two men were arrested during a party in Edgefield on Saturday night.

After Edgefield city police arrived at a home on Moragne Street between 9 and 11 p.m. looking for a suspect in a theft, the crowd grew disorderly, said police Lt. Mike Cockrell.

He said police weren't looking to break up the party, but the situation escalated as they waited for a tow truck to remove a vehicle that police said held the stolen items.

Gunshots were heard from behind the home, and police used a Taser on one person. When the person's brother grew irate, police sprayed Mace. County police arrested Xavier Rouse and Deangelo Rouse, according to Lt. Cockrell.

No further details were available. Edgefield County police didn't respond to phone calls Sunday.

Man jumps pharmacy counter to steal drug

A bottle of hydrocodone was stolen from CVS Pharmacy on Boy Scout Road, a store employee told police.

The employee said a man jumped over the pharmacy counter; took the narcotic pain reliever, valued at $264; and ran out about 5:45 p.m. Saturday, according to a Richmond County sheriff's report.

When to water

You cannot water today in Columbia and Richmond counties, which are under Level Two restrictions.

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

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.

How to save water

Landscape with Xeriscape trees, plants and groundcovers. Call your local conservation office for more information about these water-thrifty plants.

Source: wateruseitwisely.com