From Staff and Wire Reports
Man convicted in DUI death will be paroled
A Hephzibah man imprisoned for vehicular homicide is scheduled to be paroled Monday.
Dennis E. Morris will be released after serving four years, according to the State Board of Pardons and Paroles. He was sentenced to serve 10 years in prison in September 2004.
Mr. Morris pleaded guilty in Richmond County Superior Court to homicide by vehicle in the first degree. He admitted he was drunk Dec. 27, 2003, when he caused a wreck that killed friend Richard W. Nasworthy, 46.
Aiken Circle K hit again by armed robber
For the second time in more than a week, the Aiken County Sheriff's Office is investigating an armed robbery at Circle K at 315 Hitchcock Parkway.
According to a news release from the sheriff's office, at 4:45 a.m. Friday, a masked man with a handgun demanded money from an employee, who opened the cash register.
The robber is described as a black male, about 5 feet 8 inches tall and about 150 pounds. He was wearing a gray T-shirt, blue jean shorts and sandals. Anyone with information can call (800) 922-9709 or (888) 274-6372.
Escapee surrenders to Aiken County deputy
Escaped inmate Thomas Lee Washington was taken back into custody in Aiken County on Thursday night, state corrections officials said.
Mr. Washington, a minimum-security inmate at Lower Savannah Pre-Release Center in Aiken, walked away from his work assignment Thursday and turned himself in to an Aiken County sheriff's deputy about five miles away four hours later.
He was transferred to nearby Trenton Correctional Institution in Edgefield County, a medium-security facility with an exterior fence.
He started serving a five-year sentence for assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature in October. He now faces a felony escape charge, which carries a sentence of one to 15 years in prison.
Police trace cell call to find abducted girl
Cell phone technology helped lead to the rescue of a teenage girl and the arrest of the man accused of abducting her from her Edgefield County home.
Authorities say Brian Bennett, 31, of California, is in custody after his arrest Tuesday in the eastern Missouri town of Wentzville. The 17-year-old girl is back with her parents in South Carolina.
Police say Mr. Bennett showed up Monday at the home of the girl he met over the Internet and took her away. Authorities traced a cell phone call to St. Charles County, Mo. A Wentzville officer spotted Mr. Bennett's car at a convenience store, where he was arrested.
Cross is appointed to indigent defense panel
Columbia County Commission Chairman Ron Cross received an appointment Friday from Gov. Sonny Perdue to serve on the new state Indigent Defense Council.
Mr. Cross said he once served on the Indigent Defense Committee serving the Augusta Judicial Circuit. That panel acted as oversight for the public defender's office serving the circuit.
Mr. Cross said he thinks the state council will perform the same function for all public defender offices in Georgia.
"Exactly what role we'll play, I don't know," he said.
Bullets strike house; caller demands money
Someone fired several shots striking a house on Windermere Drive on Thursday night, according to a Richmond County Sheriff's Office report.
While an investigator was on the scene, an unknown man made repeated calls claiming credit for the shooting, the report stated.
The man claimed he would return and continue shooting at the house until he was paid $100,000.
The home was occupied at the time of the shooting, but no one was injured.
Burglar steals liquor from Partridge Inn
Someone broke into the Partridge Inn and stole more than $1,200 worth of top-shelf alcohol between Wednesday night and Thursday morning, a sheriff's office report stated.
Among the items stolen were Jagermeister, Bombay Sapphire, Grey Goose and Crown Royal, according to the report.
Man exposes himself to 12-year-old girl
A man exposed himself to a 12-year-old girl waiting for her school bus Thursday, according to a sheriff's office report.
The man pulled up and got out of his car acting as if he was talking on a cell phone, called out to the girl and exposed himself to her, the report stated.
The Murphey Middle School pupil walked away, and the man drove off, the report stated.
Blaze at home being investigated as arson
Authorities are investigating a Friday morning fire at an Augusta home as a case of arson.
Richmond County firefighters responded to the fire at the 700 block of Macon Avenue at about 9:45 a.m.
Witnesses said a fire had been started in the home using charcoal starter fluid, according to an incident report. One witness said pools of fluid could be found in the front room and two back rooms.
Clerk fired at during failed armed robbery
Police are investigating an armed robbery of a south Augusta business Friday in which the perpetrator fired a gun.
A store clerk at Jimmy's Package Shop, in the 2800 block of Deans Bridge Road, told police a man wearing camouflage and a dark bandanna entered the store demanding money and brandishing a 9 mm semi-automatic gun about 1:30 p.m.
When the clerk could not open the register, the man fired a gun at him and left. The clerk was not injured.
TRAFFIC REPORT
To ensure motorists' safety during a bridge demolition, the eastbound lane of Interstate 20 at the Lewiston Road overpass will close from 9 p.m. Monday until 5 a.m. Tuesday, according to the state Department of Transportation. Motorists are advised to seek an alternative route. For more information, visit www.dot.ga.gov.
-- From staff and wire reports
