Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInGROVETOWN (WRDW/WAGT) - A suspect has been arrested in connection to a home invasion and shooting Tuesday in Grovetown police released photos of another man wanted in connection with the home invasion was found and arrested near Windsor Spring Road and Meadowbrook Drive in Augusta still riding in the suspect vehicle that was observed fleeing the scene of the earlier shooting Bautista had a firearm at the time of his arrest and had multiple outstanding felony warrants through both Richmond County and Reidsville Webster Detention Center on the outstanding warrants Additional warrants will be secured by Grovetown Investigators for his charges regarding Tuesday’s shooting One man is injured after a robbery by force took place Tuesday evening The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office assisted in apprehending Bautista Grovetown police released photos Wednesday morning of a second suspect they are seeking They didn’t release his name but said he’s known to frequent the Deans Bridge Road/Meadowbrook Road area of Augusta Anyone with information is urged to call 911 or 706-863-1212 The Grovetown Police Department says they received a 911 call Tuesday at 5:02 p.m about a shooting at the 1000 block of Joiner Circle in Joiner Crossing Apartments in Grovetown Police Chief Jamey Kitchens said two unknown males entered an apartment hitting the male victim once in the upper chest Officials say the victim was conscious when they arrived and was taken to a local hospital for surgery He does not appear to have life-threatening injuries Multiple people were in the home at the time including an infant who was within a few feet of the victim when he was shot The victim was not a resident of the apartment Police used doorbell and other surveillance cameras to capture the suspects fleeing on foot to a nearby vehicle and exiting the complex One of the suspects was wearing a mask and both were wearing dark-colored hoodies A deputy was fired and arrested after admitting to stealing a knife from a member of the public according to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office Kitchens wants the community to know that there is no danger to the community and that this appears to be a targeted attack A witness said she saw 17 police cars on the scene around 6 p.m and that it appeared officers were searching up and down some nearby railroad tracks The incident comes amid an outbreak of violent crime that’s claimed about 200 lives in nearly three years across the CSRA The crime outbreak has affected communities large and small Authorities have blamed much of the problem on gangs We are working to learn more information about the incident (WRDW/WAGT) - The Warriors tennis team is undefeated After winning the Class 6A Region 4championship for the first time Monday it became a reality when they played host to Hillgrove After the doubles team dropped their matches It was left to the singles to give the Warriors a shot at the Sweet Sixteen 1 singles player Patrick Gregory won 6-4 in the first frame before falling 2-6 in the second Gregory decided to leave nothing to chance and pulled out a 6-1 final set Hunter Copeland fought back from a 1-5 in the first set to win the next 6 points While Gregory and Copeland had left the court Lashley tied it up at 6-6 forcing a 7-point tiebreaker The final blow came when Hillgrove hit it into the net signaling the end of a two and a half hour match with a ticket to the Sweet Sixteen punched for the first time in program history (WRDW/WAGT) - Columbia County Fire and Rescue battled a home fire in Grovetown on Saturday afternoon The American Red Cross has a program to help people get a free smoke alarm to help prevent the worst from happening Dispatch says they got a call to respond to the 4600 block of Coldwater Street around 2:20 p.m There were no injuries reported when crews arrived on the scene and no buildings were endangered at the time we saw several firetrucks and deputies leaving the neighborhood We have reached out to learn more about the fire The American Red Cross says to practice your two-minute escape drill and test your smoke alarms monthly (WRDW/WAGT) - Grovetown High School has hired Dedrick Mayo as their new head football coach Mayo has extensive experience on the gridiron he was the head coach at Highlands Community College Coaching in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Mayo was the offensive coordinator for Camden County in Kingsland The Wildcats competed in 6A Region 1 of the GHSA this past season the Warriors play in the same classification Clarks Hill Youth Fishing Team anglers place first in Georgia BASS Nation and Georgia High School Fishing tournaments Grovetown’s athletic director Wes Wuchte said Mayo chose the CSRA to be closer to his daughter It was also a dream for Mayo to be a head football coach in the Peach State as it has a reputation for developing great football players where he began his first stint as a head coach He coached at Atlantic High School in Port Orange FL where he was awarded Conference Coach of the Year and the Daytona Beach News-Journal Coach of the Year Grovetown’s previous coach was Cory Evans who was promoted from defensive coordinator in 2021 Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInAUGUSTA (WRDW/WAGT) - The Grovetown Police Department says a missing Grovetown woman has been found The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s help in searching for a missing 16-year-old was last seen leaving her residence on Harvestwood Drive on Tuesday around 1 p.m Crime & Courts, News Two area certified nursing assistants have been locked up for using a Grovetown man’s card to rack up $30,0000 in unauthorized purchases and cash withdrawals were both charged over the last week with credit card fraud and exploitation and intimidation of elderly Simpson also faces the same charges for an unrelated incident The victim is a 63-year-old Grovetown man who called Columbia County authorities in January to report fraudulent activity on his debit and credit cards Investigators met with him and his caregiver someone used his debit and credit card information to take tens of thousands of dollars The suspects allegedly made multiple $500 cash withdrawals at Queensborough National Bank & Trust Company They also used the victim’s cards to make payments to Geico Insurance An investigation resulted in the arrests of the nursing assistants A CNA is a healthcare professional who provides basic care and assistance to patients in settings like hospitals CNAs help with daily activities such as bathing They also monitor vital signs like temperature Letters to the Editor | Opinion News Briefs General News | News | Politics & Government Health, Science & Technology | News Education | News The Augusta Press encourages and welcomes reader comments; however we request this be done in a respectful manner and we retain the discretion to determine which comments violate our comment policy remove and/or not allow your comments to be posted The types of comments not allowed on our site include: Forgot your password? website@theaugustapress.com Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions (WRDW/WAGT) - The Grovetown Police Department is seeking the public’s help in searching for a missing 13-year-old Leah Michelle Freeman who was last seen on Friday just before 4 p.m Officials say Freeman is 5 foot 5 inches tall and weighs 115 pounds The Grovetown Police Department is sending a different kind of Christmas present to a police department in North Carolina She was last seen wearing a gray hoodie with black writing If you have any information on the location of Freeman contact the Grovetown Police Department at 706-863-1212 WJBF The Grovetown Warriors won the match 3-2 against Hillgrove What’s going on at this Downtown Augusta restaurant is starting to eat at some commissioners Hundreds packed the Performing Arts Center to honor fallen Columbia County Deputy Brandon Sikes Deputy Brandon Sikes was on the hearts and minds of thousands in Columbia County Monday That’s why many people decided to spend part of their morning lining the streets leading up to the Columbia County Performing Arts Center---showing support Businesses to honor fallen deputy during funeral procession 2 injured in shooting at Riverfront Marina The festival kickstarts the year for the church but also serves as a way to reach more people in the community a cook and teacher at Childcare Network on Wylds Road in Augusta The City of Augusta and the Greater Augusta Arts Council unveiled 10 new sculptures as part of the latest expansion of the Augusta Sculpture Trail on Friday A man and two women face assault charges and more after a victim was shot Tuesday at the Grovetown Walmart while trying to save his girlfriend was charged with aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime were charged with aggravated assault and simple battery according to the Columbia County Sheriff's Office More: Three women crash car fleeing from deputies after allegedly shoplifting from Evans store The 17-year-old victim told Columbia County deputies from his Piedmont Hospital bed that he was shot in the groin while trying to rescue his 18-year-old girlfriend from getting further accosted by two other women in the store's parking lot Authorities found the gun used in the shooting and a phone later discovered to belong to the shooter The victim and his girlfriend identified all three suspects by name The owner of the vehicle used by the shooter to flee the scene helped authorities further confirm their identities Hobbs and McCloud were found in Jefferson County and taken to Columbia County's jail A manager at the Kroger Marketplace in Grovetown has been charged with taking an estimated $44,000 from the store over four months Columbia County authorities obtained a theft-by-taking warrant against Kimberly Summers a front-end manager at the Kroger at 435 Lewiston Rd. Kroger's loss prevention officer told a Columbia County sheriff's deputy Dec 17 that as she reviewed security camera footage from Dec she saw Summers pocketing money she collected from the store's self-checkout registers When confronted by the Kroger loss officer and another manager She explained to the officer that "she needed money and was short on cash so she started helping herself to a few hundred dollars from the machine every time she moved the money," the report said She also said she had been taking money since August but thought she had taken only $4,000 instead of the reported $44,000 More: More than eight months after fatal shooting, police charge this Augusta man with the crime (WRDW/WAGT) - Owners are looking to potentially build a new Olive Garden in Columbia County The restaurant will be located at 5136 Autumn Trail off Lewiston Road A new year means new businesses are opening up all across our area We stopped by Paris Banh Mi just ahead of their first official day A rezoning application shows the location of where it would be built and what it could potentially look like This would be the third new Olive Garden to open in the CSRA in the past 15 months. Aiken County got its first store on Whiskey Road and the Augusta location relocated from Washington Road to Cabela Drive in November of 2023 The rezoning application also shows a potential Chase Bank could be coming as well Back in October of 2024, we told you about the bank’s plans to open at least four branches in the market over the next three years. The zoning application is a potential first look at some of the bank’s future plans in the CSRA Two sisters who attend Grovetown High School face a felony charge after a school resource officer was injured Thursday while breaking up a lunchtime fight were both charged with felony obstruction of law enforcement as well as misdemeanor simple battery The arrests come after three students were involved in an altercation during lunch with other students present “While the altercation was being de-escalated the School Resource Officer was struck in the face and sustained a minor injury,” the principal said in a letter to parents The Benson sisters were criminally charged with the younger one being treated as a juvenile The older one was booked into the Columbia County Detention Center and held under a $6,200 bond on the two charges “Inappropriate physical contact of any nature is unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” Young said told parents “Please speak with your students about the seriousness of fighting and the consequences that will follow.” A man was shot in a Grovetown home Tuesday evening in what police said was not "a random act." burst into a home on the 100 block of Joiner Circle at Joiner Crossing Apartments and started firing The victim was conscious and alert when later taken to a hospital for treatment the suspects fled on foot to a nearby vehicle and sped away "The victim was not a resident of the home where the incident took place and at this time this does not appear to have been a random act," noted police in a news release Grovetown Police are asking for the public's help in finding a man in connection with the shooting The person is known to frequent the area of Augusta near Deans Bridge Road's intersection with Meadowbrook Drive who caution that the man is considered armed and dangerous People with information about the man can call 911 or the Grovetown Police Department at (706) 863-1212 More: Richmond County sheriff's deputy fired, arrested for stealing knife the Grovetown Police Department and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force targeted online predators in the Augusta area as part of "Operation Mask Off." undercover agents and investigators engaged more than 1,200 individuals via the internet and cellular apps of which 208 verified adults expressed a desire to meet for sexual activity Despite being told multiple times they were conversing with a "child," 43 individuals said they wished to travel to meet for sex 12 indicated they were traveling to pre-arranged meeting locations provided by investigators Three individuals followed through with their plans and traveled to the meeting locations where instead of a "child," they were met members of the Grovetown Police Department and arrested Taken for a ride: Grovetown woman claims Uber driver hit her with car after aggressive ride Wilson and Minh are each charged with one count of sexual exploitation of children and were committed to the Columbia County Detention Center warrants were obtained for Willie Hines Jr South Carolina for sexual exploitation of children after he was positively identified during the chats Hines is also wanted in Gwinett County for similar charges "This is an ongoing investigation and additional charges and arrests are anticipated as other individuals are identified," according to authorities Multiple electronic devices and three vehicles were seized as part of the operation GPD confirmed the Army Criminal Investigations Division assisted in the investigation though it is unclear if any of the suspects are current or former military personnel Events, Lifestyle The American Pro Rodeo is returning to Grovetown A rodeo is coming to Grovetown later this month the American Hero Pro Rodeo will be at Liberty Park in Grovetown This isn’t the first time the city has hosted the rodeo said Grovetown Public Information Officer Jordan Johnson The city previously hosted the event in 2022 when it brought in over 8,700 people over the two nights “It was a resounding success and given that success we look to repeat that again this year,” Johnson said “It’s just a great opportunity to bring family friendly entertainment to our citizens.” and there will be food and beverage vendors activities and entertainment for patrons to enjoy Kendall Levesque will perform for the crowd As for why the city wanted to host the rodeo again Johnson said not only did it bring in a large crowd in 2022 but American Pro Rodeo donates their proceeds to charitable organizations.  MORE: The luck of the Irish holds as Rory McIlroy gets his first green jacket “That’s something that we’re also excited about,” Johnson said “Not only is it a great opportunity for folks to come out and have a great time it’s also an opportunity for people to give back and donate to a great cause.” Tickets can be purchased in advance at rodeoticket.com and Grovetown Farm and Garden Center The cost for advance tickets is $17 for ages 13 and up Tickets at the gate is $20 for age 13 and up Johnson said this is a rain or shine event and that coolers and pets are not allowed.  America's biggest casual restaurant chain could be coming to Grovetown A rezoning request filed with Columbia County planners seeks to change the commercial zoning status of a corner lot at the intersection of Lewiston Road and Autumn Trail Plans accompanying the request show a proposed layout for an Olive Garden Italian Kitchen The 7,842-square-foot restaurant would sit next to another project Access to both businesses would be from Autumn Trail has overseen Augusta-area development projects before including bringing the city of Harlem its first fast-food hamburger franchise Hush puppy heaven: This iconic Augusta seafood restaurant could be yours for $1.5 million operates more than 900 locations nationwide that exceeded $5 billion in sales Restaurant Business magazine reported in June 2024 The Augusta area's first Olive Garden at 2736 Washington Rd opened in 1988 but closed in 2022 after a shell company on behalf of the Augusta National Golf Club bought the land on which the restaurant sat A new Olive Garden opened in 2023 at 804 Cabela Dr. in the Village at Riverwatch near Interstate 20 About $25,000 in jewelry and $12,000 in cash has been reported stolen from a neighborhood off Columbia Road A Grovetown couple retured to their Orchard Hill Road home the evening of Dec according to a Columbia County Sheriff's Office incident report One of the owners said she and her husband "entered the residence through the garage and noticed that their bedroom had been rummaged through with mattresses flipped over and drawers opened with cash missing from Wells Fargo envelopes located under the mattresses," the report said The homeowners told authorities they were unsure precisely how many pieces of jewelry Footage from a doorbell camera in the neighborhood is being reviewed in the investigation More: Columbia County Kroger manager accused of skimming cash from self-checkout registers A Grovetown man charged with killing a neighbor’s dog claims that the unleashed pet approached him in his back yard and growled The arrest follows a grand jury’s decision that shooting the animal was cruel was charged last month with aggravated cruelty to animals The charges stemmed from an August 2024 incident in which Rock admitted to shooting a 3-year-old black Labrador named Milo after it allegedly approached him in an aggressive manner According to the Grovetown Police Department 21 regarding the shooting of a dog on Swinton Pond Road who explained that she believed the dog had been shot by a neighbor She found the pet underneath a truck parked in front of 173 Swinton Pond Road in a puddle of blood but still breathing A blood trail led from the dog to the backyard of 145 Swinton Pond Road an officer located two men working two houses down in the backyard of 137 Swinton Pond Road and asked if they had heard gunfire The neighbor said he and the other man were working in the backyard of their residence when the dog approached them and began to growl and snarl its teeth at them The dog was unleashed and roaming the neighborhood “Harvey Rock stated the dog aggressed towards them twice at which point he pushed the dog and retreated into the home,” a report says “Harvey Rock then stated he retrieved his Smith and Wesson M&P 9mm  from inside his residence Rock said the dog was not leashed and was free roaming around the neighborhood The officer noted that he didn’t see any blood in the yard of Harvey Rock’s backyard “I asked Harvey Rock why he did not call the police or animal services when he went back into the residence and he stated that he felt he did not need to because the dog was on his property,” the report says “I then asked Harvey Rock why he did not call the police after he discharged his firearm at the dog He stated that he did not feel like he needed to do that either Harvey Rock also did not make any attempt to track the wounded animal or contact anyone regarding the animal.” The officer noted that there had not been any calls for service regarding a nuisance dog or loose dog from this residence or at 137 Swinton Pond Road There have not been any calls to Columbia County Animal Control either The dog later died at Blue Pearl Animal Hospital The case was forwarded to the Columbia County District Attorney’s Office for a DA review and a grand jury debated the case  before choosing to indict Rock on Oct (WRDW/WAGT) - Hurricane debris cleanup has brought eastbound traffic to a standstill in the Grovetown area Traffic was at a standstill from Baker Place to Lewiston Road It was all because of a lane closure will crews picked up debris from Hurricane Helene Grovetown is getting its fondly remembered train depot back – sort of 16 for contractors who want to help the growing Columbia County city build a new community center "modeled loosely in appearance" after the historical depot that was torn down more than 50 years ago Local leaders have discussed creating a city-run event space as early as 2015 according to Grovetown Public Information Officer Jordan Johnson Inspiration came from older Grovetown residents who still miss the iconic rail station that stood at the corner of Old Wrightsboro Road and Robinson Avenue it was our intention to pay homage to what Grovetown used to be and how far we've come," Jordan said and taking that inspiration and transforming it into something beautiful that our community can use and that repreents our city." The proposed events center would be at 104 E Clifford Memorial Presbyterian Church is at 110 E You're history, pal: Longtime resident curates Grovetown's rich memories in museum Plans for the one-story facility show a 6,099-square-foot building with a mechanical mezzanine and a tall window monitor which is a small roofed structure on the ridge of a larger roof Grovetown's original depot was built in 1879 A bigger depot was completed in 1891 costing $5,041.74 Passenger trains filled with locals and out-of-town vacationers traveled to Grovetown until the last local train from Augusta ran its final route in 1930 moved troops and supplies through the depot Augusta-to-Atlanta passenger train traffic The railroad ended its service at the depot in 1970 Briefs General News, Business has its sights set on developing a new neighborhood in Grovetown development director with Columbus-based Hughston Homes applied last month to rezone a nearly 100-acre parcel along Wrightsboro Road near its intersection with Baker Place Road An accompanying letter of intent from Alabama firm Bolt Engineering outlines plans to develop Hamilton Grove 26 of which would be accessed via a proposed new street that would run through the neighborhood The other 10 lots would have direct frontage and access to Hamilton Road which borders the southern end of the parcel and the subdivision would have some 17 acres of open space The letter also states that the new street would draw water service from Wrightsboro Road while the homes on Hamilton Road would get water from the main on Alexander Drive The lots would use septic tanks instead of connecting with the sewer is in talks with the Georgia Department of Transportation about installing a roundabout at Baker Place and Wrightsboro roads as the new street access would line up on Wrightsboro across from Baker Place Bolt also requests a variance to allow for the street Hamilton Grove would not be its first project in Columbia County as it developed the Four Oaks subdivision in Evans The Columbia County Planning Commission is scheduled to consider the rezoning request during its meeting on Feb Skyler Andrews is a reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com A man was shot Monday evening in Grovetown by the mother of his child in what police are calling an act of self-defense was trying to gain entry into a home on the 7600 block of Main Street Though the victim is nine months pregnant with Hampton's unborn child and they already are parents to a 2-year-old girl The victim told police Hampton had been beating on the front door of the home and broken a window in an attempt to gain entry when she fired at Hampton More: Here's how an Alan Jackson imposter conned a Columbia County woman out of $3,000 beat on the door of another home and asked the residents to call police The victim had previously texted her family Hampton was taken to a hospital to treat his injury before being released and committed to the Columbia County Detention Center on unrelated outstanding probation warrants as well as a criminal trespass – family violence charge The victim suffered no physical injuries during the incident Police called the incident an act of self-defense and the mother will face no charges Augusta Eats: Grovetown soul food restaurant serves Southern comfort meals in a sports bar settingAugusta ChronicleWhen Jennica Bonner and her mother Jennifer Reddick opened K&J Soul Bar & Grill in Grovetown 11 months ago they wanted a place with more space where friends and family could come together and have fun the mother-daughter duo operated soul food restaurants on Walton Way and Wrightsboro Road but the spaces were small and there wasn’t room for customers to gather at either restaurant “We wanted to have a bigger space to come together and enjoy each other’s company,” Bonner said They also wanted to introduce authentic soul food to Grovetown introduce their families and they all sit down and chat Bonner said they are especially excited about finally getting the restaurant’s liquor license soon – just in time for their one-year anniversary They plan to celebrate and eventually bring in live bands now that they have the space with large basketball player cutouts on the walls There are eight large television sets – all with different sporting events playing  The colors are bright and tables are spread out The daily menu is written on a white board and also posted on Facebook The menu is Southern comfort food: fried fish Meals come with choices of sides like fried okra and black-eyed peas and a fried cornbread cake and potato salad sampled for lunch were rib-sticking good Portions were large enough to provide dinner