Across the area

Man arrested in fatal stabbing of his friend

Authorities arrested a man accused of fatally stabbing his friend during a fight Saturday night.

Dancer Wayne Richter, 20, who was stabbed several times, was pronounced dead at 9:59 p.m. at Aiken Regional Medical Centers, Aiken County Coroner Tim Carlton said in a news release.

The Aiken County Sheriff's Office charged Allen C. Tufano, 36, of Aiken, with murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a crime, according to jail records.

Witnesses say the men had been drinking and roughhousing Saturday in the front yard of a home on Partridge Bend Road near New Ellenton, Mr. Carlton said. About 9 p.m., witnesses told investigators, Mr. Tufano got a knife and stabbed Mr. Richter.

Mr. Richter's death marks the 14th homicide in Aiken County this year.

Mr. Tufano was being held at the Aiken County Detention Center on Sunday.

Woman is robbed as she enters her house

A 58-year-old Augusta woman told police she was robbed about 6 p.m. Saturday in the 2900 block of Lee Street.

A Richmond County sheriff's report said the woman was entering her home when a man ran up behind her and demanded her purse. The woman told officers the man was holding an object she thought might have been a handgun. The purse and its contents are valued at about $330, she said.

The robber was described as black, 20 to 30 years old, about 5 feet 10 inches tall and about 140 pounds. He was dressed in black clothing and had a black scarf around his face.

Woman is hit with gun during robbery attempt

A 31-year-old woman told police she was attacked by a man who attempted to rob her as she was walking on Britts Lane about 9:50 p.m. Saturday.

According to a Richmond County sheriff's report, officers were sent to Starnes Street and Britts Lane after screaming was reported. A deputy found the woman on Crawford Avenue with a cut on her head. She told officers the man appeared suddenly and threw her to the ground. He hit her on the head with a pistol and demanded that she empty her purse and her pockets.

No items were stolen, the report says. The woman was taken to the Medical College of Georgia Hospital for treatment.

The attacker was described as black, in his early 20s, possibly wearing a red hat or a red sweatshirt.