Will Rioux WRDW

Salem Carpenter has been found safe and is being checked on by medical staff!

: Missing Lincoln County 14-year-old Salem Carpenter found. https://www.wrdw.com/2026/05/18/volunteers-spread-out-find-missing-lincoln-county-teen/

Update: GSP reports show BCSO’s Richard Elim was involved in an accident and is charged DUI/less safe, Holding/supporting a wireless device, and Following too closely.

Elim struck a vehicle from behind that was sitting at a traffic control device, according to GSP.

It was noted by troopers that he had bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, and was unsteady on his feet. He said he was coming from a cigar lounge in Hephzibah. It’s unclear if that is Sheriff Williams’ personal cigar lounge.

GSP’s report shows a BrAC of 0.186.

He stated he was on his phone and didn’t see the vehicle stopped. He advised troopers on scene he was an off-duty Colonel at BCSO.

The crash report is not ready yet.

***

Burke County Sheriff’s Office Richard Elim was arrested early Sunday morning for DUI in Richmond County.

We’re waiting on more information from law enforcement about the report and the circumstances surrounding his arrest.

We can confirm the Georgia Department of Agriculture’s law enforcement division is now involved and investigating.

“We take allegations of animal abuse and animal cruelty extremely seriously. I can confirm that our Law Enforcement Division is investigating this incident however it is an active investigation so we cannot share any more details at this time.”

Here is an official statement from the GBI on the matter too:

“The Georgia Department of Agriculture Law Enforcement Division has opened a criminal investigation into this matter. GBI did assist with some interviews in the case. You will need to reach out to the Department of Agriculture for any additional information regarding this matter.”

12 On Your Side Investigates: Lincolnton mayor faces questions after report details cat shooting incident A small-town mayor is facing questions after a police report states he asked an officer to turn over his gun to a homeowner to shoot a cat.

UPDATE: The DA confirms the GBI has been asked to assist with gathering additional information about the incident, including doing interviews, adding the GBI has not independently opened an investigation.

***

Lincolnton’s mayor is facing questions after a police report states he asked an officer to turn over his gun to a homeowner to shoot their cat, after it previously attacked them.

Body camera footage and an incident report obtained by 12 On Your Side show Officer Jason Shelton refused Lincolnton Mayor Mike McCombs' request.

The mayor then arrived at the scene with his wife, Lizzy Long, who brought a shotgun and shot the family's cat. The officer had suggested taking the cat to a vet multiple times to be put down humanely, but that didn't happen.

The cat specimen from Lincoln County tested negative for rabies, according to Georgia DPH.

Lincolnton's city ordinance makes it unlawful to discharge a firearm within city limits — except for law enforcement officers in the line of duty.

No charges have been filed.

The district attorney's office tells us, "We are waiting for all the facts to be gathered. We have requested that some additional interviews be conducted."

"However, this situation highlights the need to have local animal control officers in our communities. The lack of animal control resources leaves citizens and our officers trying to handle situations with animals on their own which they are not trained for nor properly equipped to do humanely."

12 On Your Side Investigates: Lincolnton mayor faces questions after report details cat shooting incident A small-town mayor is facing questions after a police report states he asked an officer to turn over his gun to a homeowner to shoot a cat.

Augusta Mall is planning what it’s calling a “temporary youth curfew” this Saturday.

Youths will not be banned, but will need to come with adult supervision.

The measures are being taken “out of an abundance of caution” to provide a safe, peaceful experience for all guests, the mall said.

The mall said it monitors social media as part of its security efforts, and social media activity showed this was a day to be concerned about.

Malls and other public places have been targeted by “teen takeovers” coordinated through social media, and they are frequently chaotic and dangerous affairs. Youths may being outside conflicts to the venue, and they flare into dangerous situations.

In fact, News 12 found a social media post indicating such plans this Saturday, although the graphic states “leave the drama at home.”

: Augusta Mall to restrict youths this Saturday. https://www.wrdw.com/2026/05/07/augusta-mall-restrict-youths-this-saturday/

As we enter graduation season... this was a story that always stuck with me.

August 9, 2022, was the day 14-year-old Treyvon Jennings took his own life. Treyvon was described as a happy and bright freshman at Evans High School.

Almost 4 years later, his family reached out to me this week to say Treyvon would've been graduating from Evans HS on May 21st.

The school will have an empty seat for him and his name will still be called

Hoping to help others, mom shares story of son’s su***de We have a local family’s journey and message to everyone after their son took his own life at the beginning of the school year.

Former WOW Internet Technician, Soumen Sinha, has been indicted on 15 counts.

The charges include Computer Theft, Burglary in the First Degree, and Electronic Transmission of Material Depicting Nudity or Sexually Explicit Conduct, and Computer Trespass.

In February, a judge denied bond for Soumen Sinha, 34, the WOW internet technician accused of stealing explicit photos and videos from customers' phones.

Background on what investigators found:
Authorities executed search warrants on Sinha's phones and, on January 21, 2026, searched his Aiken home — recovering nearly 100 devices, including multiple hard drives, phones, computers, and SD cards.

On a hidden backup hard drive found in a closet, investigators discovered 4.84 terabytes of data — including 1.4 million photos and 300,000 videos. Within that data, a subfolder contained four confirmed images of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Two other hard drives had been completely wiped clean.

Using stolen photos to catfish victims:
Prosecutors say Sinha admitted he was using the stolen photos to catfish people online.

He also screenshotted victims' passwords and social media accounts while holding their phones, in an attempt to access them later.

Other victims identified:
Another woman was identified as a victim after investigators recognized her in photos on Sinha's phone. She was present in court today and confirmed Sinha was her WOW technician — and that she never gave him permission to have her photos.

One victim was identified after investigators contacted him through a phone number search. He was present in court today.

Another victim came forward after seeing a Facebook group about the case. She reported that Sinha had her phone for an unusually long amount of time during installation, then returned to her home unannounced a second time claiming he needed to reset the router. After his visits, she began receiving alerts that someone was attempting to break into her Snapchat and other social media accounts and reset her credentials. Her Social Security number and other personal information also began appearing on the dark web.

N**e photos and videos of her were found on Sinha's device.
In total: 6 victims in Columbia County, 1 in Grovetown, and 7 in Richmond County — with more unidentified victims being sought using Clearview AI.

Discord chats & online activity:
Investigators found multiple Discord conversations in which Sinha discussed hacking Snapchat and other social media accounts, and participated in group chats about "Augusta girls" and "CSRA girls." He reportedly boasted about possessing three terabytes of images of Augusta-area women. Some of the material may date back to 2003 or 2004.

Hours after being released on bond in the Grovetown case, Sinha was immediately active on other phones and computers, searching how to:
- Delete Snapchat and Facebook
- Erase photos remotely
- Wipe hard drives
- Move to Australia and leave the country

Sinha holds a green card and has family currently living outside the United States. Prosecutors argued he poses a significant flight risk.
An email recovered from his OneDrive, dated December 26th, read: "We noticed you deleted a large number of files, and the files will be permanently deleted in 30 days."

Investigators have also submitted search warrants to Google and Microsoft OneDrive covering 11 additional accounts, with five more phones, and three more hard drives yet to be examined.

Defense argument:
Defense attorneys noted Sinha attended Evans High School, graduating in 2012, and has lived in the area with his family. His only prior record was a theft charge in 2019 that was later dismissed — no prior sexual offenses or felony convictions. His girlfriend also reportedly reached out to a victim asking her not to pursue prosecution.

New Today: Child left on daycare bus, worker arrested

On April 27th, at approximately 6:09PM Thomson PD received a call to McDuffie Piedmont ER in reference to a child being left in a vehicle. During the course of the investigation, it was learned that the 4-year-old victim was picked up that morning for daycare by Hazel Battle, the suspect, and driver of the bus for Child's World Daycare located at 101 Pecan Avenue Thomson.

It wasn't until approximately 2:30PM when the mother of the victim arrived to pick up the child that it was discovered that the child had been left on the bus until that time.

The child was receiving treatment at this time for severe dehydration and early signs of heat stroke. Battle was charged with Cruelty to Children 2nd Degree and committed to the McDuffie County Detention Center.

Investigation is still on going.

Going through some state documents unrelated to this recent incident on the child care center we found the state had previously determined, during visits in May 2022 and April 2023, that the center had knowingly or intentionally violated criminal record check requirements.

There's a consent agreement that states such violations would normally require the state to revoke the center’s license. Instead of immediate revocation, the parties entered into a settlement allowing the center to keep operating, subject to strict conditions.

The center agreed to:
- Pay a $5,000 enforcement fine
- Have a director oversee all employee background checks, complete background-check training
- Perform audits every 90 days for two years, and understand that any future violation of the criminal-record-check rule during the next two years would trigger mandatory revocation

Documents show the center was back in compliance. Then, during a monitoring visit in September of 2025, the facility was noted as having another issue with records for criminal records check. Again, all of this unrelated to the current incident.

Child left on day-care bus in Thomson; driver arrested A day-care bus driver has been arrested after a student was left in the vehicle, according to Thomson police.

Richmond County Sheriff’s Office Addresses Inmate Food Complaints

The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office Jail Administration has received several complaints from inmates and their families regarding food served within the facility on April 25, 2026.

Jail Administration immediately initiated a review and is working closely with the contracted food service vendor to determine the circumstances that led to these complaints. In addition, medical staff have been actively monitoring all inmates and providing treatment to anyone who may have been affected.

At this time, there is no indication of a widespread issue or ongoing risk. The incident appears to be isolated, and all individuals who reported concerns have direct access to appropriate medical care.

DPH conducts inspections of food service operations in detention centers and jails.

The Charles B. Webster Detention Center in Richmond County falls under the local health department's authority, and its food service operation is inspected accordingly.

A recent routine inspection was conducted on 1/30/26 and resulted in a score of 100. Prior to that, a previous routine inspection was conducted on 7/24/25 with a score of 90.

Facilities are inspected based on their risk type. Risk type is based on the menu, the types of food, and the processes a facility implements to prepare food.

Jails and detention centers are Risk Type 2 facilities because they prepare raw animal foods using basic cooking, reheating, cooling, and thawing processes. Due to the level of food preparation and processes, Risk Type 2 facilities are inspected at least twice a year.

Governor Brian Kemp declared a State of Emergency today for 91 Georgia counties in response to the ongoing wildfires in South Georgia

Amid worsening drought, burn ban issued for most of Georgia. https://www.wrdw.com/2026/04/22/amid-worsening-drought-burn-ban-issued-most-georgia/