Looters have been reported in at least two Augusta stores following the shutdown of business and devastation caused by Hurricane Helene.
Authorities confirm looting in recent days at the Family Dollar on Deans Bridge Road and the Dollar General on Gordon Highway.
Deputies are preparing formal charges against those involved as the investigation continues and videos circulate online of the criminal activity. Potential charges include burglary in the second degree, theft by taking, theft by receiving stolen property and criminal trespassing.
Authorities are warning residents not to take advantage of the destruction to prey on closed businesses and local residents.
In one case, a man was found snooping around a local residence and trying to get into a boarded-up house. He was also seen trying to access a backyard shed.
Christopher Alonzo Brewer, 39, was charged Saturday with criminal trespass and booked into the Charles B. Webster Detention Center, where he remained Sunday night.
RCSO CLOSURES & JURY TRIALS POSTPONED:
Meanwhile, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office announced that the power outages have led them to close the Administrative Building and the detention center to the public until further notice.
On the courts side, District Attorney Jared Williams announced that jurors summoned for the week of Sep. 30 are released from the summons and are NOT to report to the courthouse. Jury trials have been postponed for this week and will be reset at a later date, Williams said in a press release.
“ALL court proceedings are postponed for Monday and Tuesday. Not just jury trials, but all court hearings,” he said.
Superior Court Judge Danny Craig said all filing deadlines that would have expired from Sept. 27 are extended until after the expiration of the emergency period – Oct. 1, 2024 – unless further extended.
