Man hits house with vehicle, runs away

NORTH AUGUSTA --- Police say an Augusta man crashed his car into a house in North Augusta Sunday night and then ran away.

The resident of the house in the 1200 block of West Avenue reported hearing a loud crash about 10:45 p.m., according to a police report.

Officers said the vehicle struck the curb and some shrubs at another residence on the same block before hitting the house. The driver fled the scene on foot.

A man identified as Ivan Thompson, 29, of the 3400 block of Linderwood Drive, called to identify himself as the driver, police said. He said he panicked and ran away. No arrests have been made.

Saggy pants, school calendars on agenda

The Richmond County school board will meet today to consider a policy aimed at people who wear "saggy pants" to school functions and to approve calendars for the next two school years.

The meeting will take place at 6 p.m. at the Richmond County Board of Education's Broad Street offices.

Board members will address a proposed policy requiring people entering school events such as football games to pull up their pants so they do not show their underwear.

The issue was recently brought up by school board Vice President Alex Howard after he noticed several students wearing their pants inappropriately low at some football games.

Also on the agenda are proposals for the next two school years' calendars.

A school board committee recently recommended calendars that call for school to start Monday, Aug. 9 and end Friday, May 20, for 2010-11 and to start Monday, Aug. 8 and end Friday, May 18 for 2011-12.

Police think drug deal ended with shooting

Bullet casings and marijuana buds littered the parking lot of a south Augusta restaurant where Richmond County investigators said they think one man was shot late Sunday or early Monday in a botched drug deal.

Sheriff's Investigator Kendall Brown said investigators are looking for the owners of two cars found near the IHOP on Peach Orchard Road.

Marquese Demario Parrish, 17, of the 500 block of Aiken Street, and Henry Harvey Jr., 30, of 3200 block of Deans Bridge Road, are wanted for questioning in connection with the incident and could face firearms and drug charges.

Investigator Brown said witnesses told police some men were parked next to each other during what appeared to be a drug deal in the parking lot. One fired at the other, striking the car.

Blood was found in a Chevrolet Impala registered to Mr. Harvey, and the Ford Taurus believed to have been driven by Mr. Parrish was abandoned about 50 feet away. Investigator Brown said police think someone suffered a gunshot wound in the exchange.

About a pound of marijuana was recovered from the scene.

Anyone with information about the suspects can call the sheriff's office at (706) 821-1080.

Teen faces charges in molestation of girl

A 17-year-old Hephzibah man was arrested and charged Monday with molesting a 6-year-old girl.

Eric Devon Williams, of the 2000 block of Walton Farms Drive, is charged with child molestation, according to a Richmond County sheriff's report.

The suspect was caught lying on top of the girl late Sunday night and fled. He was arrested in the area a short time later while trying to get away.

4 laptops stolen from North Augusta Middle

Four laptop computers were stolen from North Augusta Middle School over the weekend.

According to a North Augusta Department of Public Safety incident report, four Dell Latitude laptops were taken from a room at the school at 725 Old Edgefield Road.

Two windows were broken and a school employee told an officer someone had reached inside and taken the laptops without entering the room. The room had a motion sensor that did not activate and a security camera was not aimed at the point of entry.

The computers are worth $4,000, according to the report.

Fort Gordon's Gate 2 will reopen today

Fort Gordon's Gate 2 is set to reopen today.

Construction on Gate 5 to remove its center island should be completed by Friday, according to a Fort Gordon news release. Gate 5 is located off Tobacco Road.

Gate 5 also is scheduled for a larger overhaul that should begin in mid-November and conclude by March.

Aiken fairgoers must leave masks at home

Those planning to attend the fair in Aiken this weekend are asked to show their faces.

Patrons 16 and older of the Western Carolina State Fair, which starts Thursday, are not allowed to wear masks of any kind, Aiken County sheriff's Sgt. Dave Myers said Monday.

The requirement also extends to the streets, roads, highways and public property in Aiken County, according to a South Carolina state law.

Those 16 and older must also obtain written permission from owners or occupants of any private property before participating in any meeting or demonstration with a mask that conceals their identity.

Sgt. Myers said the sheriff's office is reminding the public of these requirements for safety and security purposes.

Dye pack explodes in robber's getaway car

An armed bandit robbed a Washington Road bank Monday afternoon, but witnesses said a dye-pack hidden in the stolen cash bag exploded as his car drove away.

Richmond County sheriff's investigators say a man entered the Wachovia Bank at 2835 Washington Road about 3:30 p.m., showed an employee a gun, then left with an undisclosed amount of money.

The robber, described as a white man in his late 40s or early 50s, fled in an early 1990s black Infiniti with front-end damage, witnesses said.

The car had an South Carolina license plate.

Trolley study will be presented Thursday

More than a year in the making, a Charlotte engineering firm will present its trolley feasibility study Thursday to the Downtown Development Authority of Augusta.

The DDA meets at 8:30 a.m. Thursday in its offices in the White's Building on Broad Street. The meeting is open to the public.

The authority spent $37,000 in special-purpose sales tax money to have a consultant study the feasibility of light rail transit in downtown Augusta.

The authority has been spearheading a study of light rail as a tool for economic development. City officials spent two days studying the light rail system in Little Rock, Ark., in June.