Across the area

Driver is killed when her pickup is struck

An Augusta woman is dead after a Friday evening crash in south Augusta.

Monica Thomas, 25, was traveling north on Mike Padgett Highway near 4-H Club Road when she lost control of her pickup about 6:45 p.m., said Richmond County Chief Deputy Coroner Mark Bowen. Her vehicle crossed into the southbound lane, where it was struck on the passenger side by another vehicle and went airborne.

Ms. Thomas died instantly of blunt force trauma, Mr. Bowen said. Alcohol is believed to have been a factor, he said.

Ms. Thomas' passenger and the driver of the other vehicle were taken to hospitals, Mr. Bowen said.

Convicted rapist will be released on parole

Forty years after he raped a nursing student in Augusta, Charles E. Solomon is set to be released on parole next week.

Mr. Solomon, 65, who once broke out of the Richmond County jail with three other men by taking a deputy hostage, has had prior chances at parole.

After his release in 1977, Mr. Solomon robbed an Augusta bank two years later.

Mr. Solomon has been back in jail since 1980. According to the State Board of Pardons and Paroles, Mr. Solomon will be on electronic monitoring once he is released Wednesday.

Authorities seek man in Circle K robbery

Aiken County investigators are searching for the man who robbed a convenience store in Aiken on Friday morning.

About 5:45 a.m., a man wearing a mask and armed with a handgun entered Circle K on Hitchcock Parkway, demanding money. The employee opened the register, and the man walked behind the counter and took the cash, according to a news release from the Aiken County Sheriff's Office. The robber ordered the clerk to lie on the floor so he could leave.

The subject is described as a black male, 6 feet tall, about 175 pounds, wearing a red short-sleeve shirt with yellow trim, blue jean shorts and black flipflops.

Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff's office at (800) 922-9709.

Teen gets 20 years for role in home invasion

An Augusta teenager who participated in a home invasion that left him and his partner and a homeowner with gunshot wounds has pleaded guilty.

Montrelle L. Teasley, 17, pleaded guilty Thursday in Richmond County Superior Court to all charges in the Nov. 16 assault on a Tate Road couple and their baby.

Judge Carl C. Brown Jr. accepted the plea negotiation for a 20-year prison sentence. He also sentenced Mr. Teasley to serve 10 years on probation when he completes the prison term.

Accomplice Marcus Turner, 23, was convicted at trial earlier this year and sentenced to life in prison plus 15 years.

Shooter pleads guilty, gets 10-year sentence

An Augusta man is headed to prison after pleading guilty to his third and fourth felony cases -- one involving a shooting.

Dominique L. Williams, 19, was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in prison followed by 10 years probation. He pleaded guilty in Richmond County Superior Court to burglary, drug and weapon charges in one case. In the second case, he pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and weapon charges.

Last year, Mr. Williams was given probation in April and June for attempted burglary and theft. On Sept. 4, he committed burglary and was found with marijuana and a weapon. Mr. Williams was free on bond for that case when he shot Jamar Thomas outside Club Platinum on North Leg Road on Feb. 17.

Woman hospitalized after saving son's life

A woman nearly drowned Friday while saving her son's life.

Rescue workers were dispatched about 4:35 p.m. to the 600 block of Whitewood Way in the Oak Creek subdivision in Edgefield County, said North Augusta Department of Public Safety Lt. Tim Pearson.

The woman saved her 10-year-old son, who was struggling in a pool. She then found herself struggling once her son was safe.

The woman was hospitalized, but Lt. Pearson did not release her name, her condition or where she was being treated.

-- From staff reports