RCSO stays busy Masters Week, arresting Augusta woman on DUI charge outside Augusta National
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – While the Masters has made for a busy week in the Garden City, it's also been a busy last few days for the Richmond County Sheriff's Office.
It's the first Masters week for Sheriff Eugene Brantley since he took office at the beginning of the year.
While he spent part of his Wednesday at Augusta National, one of his top deputies says it's a much-anticipated week for law enforcement.
'This is a sporting event that's publicized on a global scale. We want to make sure we represent Sheriff Brantley and the Sheriff's Office in a good light, and the city of Augusta as well,' said Colonel Bo Johnson.
The Sheriff's Office partnering with multiple law enforcement agencies to ensure safety for those inside and outside of Augusta National.
Deputies are helping with traffic flow and safety downtown, but are staying ready to respond to crimes.
'We utilize what we have, but it's a joint effort on behalf of federal, state, and local agencies,' said Johnson. 'We have had a few incidents this week, but nothing major.'
One of those incidents happening Tuesday evening right outside of Augusta National Golf Club.
The Sheriff's Office arrested and charged Julie Dicks with DUI and Fleeing or Attempting to Elude an Officer.
That's after she allegedly would not pull over, then turned into Gate 5 before she was finally stopped and arrested.
Dicks was also charged with DUI in February.
'Our officers were quick to go ahead and stop her, and take care of that particular subject and the vehicle. No damage and no injuries. We've made some adjustments to security to make sure we don't have any of those issues again,' Johnson said.
So, what can you do to help?
The Sheriff's Office is urging Masters patrons to protect their belongings/souvenirs.
'A lot of people love to purchase special items and memorabilia from Augusta National, but we want them to make sure they don't leave those inside their vehicle where it can be seen,' said Johnson. 'Just lock it in the trunk if you need to. Unfortunately, we have people that will come along and knock the windows out and take your items—-and many of those items are very expensive.'
But even if you aren't attending the tournament, one of the best ways to help is exercising hospitality—inside and outside of the famous course.
'We want to show that southern hospitality that we're famous for. Whenever we have someone from out of town, be as accommodating as possible if you could. If they need directions, help them out with directions. We want these people to come back and contribute to our economy, and that's really important to Augusta as a whole,' said Johnson.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
39 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Republicans Say They're Cool With Trump Deploying Troops Against Protesters
The U.S. secretary of defense has threatened to send active-duty Marines into the streets of Los Angeles to confront protesters opposing the administration's detention and deportation of immigrants. At least three prominent Republicans don't seem concerned about potential overreach. 'The [Department of Defense] is mobilizing the National Guard IMMEDIATELY to support federal law enforcement in Los Angeles. And, if violence continues, active duty Marines at Camp Pendleton will also be mobilized — they are on high alert,' Hegseth wrote late Saturday on X, formerly Twitter, on his personal account. This prompted ABC's Jonathan Karl to ask House Speaker Mike Johnson: 'Could we really see active duty Marines on the streets of Los Angeles?' 'One of our core principles is maintaining peace through strength,' Johnson said during an interview on Sunday's episode of This Week. 'We do that on foreign affairs and domestic affairs as well. I don't think that's heavy handed. I think that's an important signal.' 'You don't think sending Marines into the streets of an American city is heavy-handed?' Karl asked. 'We have to be prepared to do what is necessary, and I think the notice that that might happen might have the deterring effect,' Johnson said. Active-duty military troops have not been sent in to suppress unrest since the 1992 Los Angeles protests after a jury acquitted four white police officers in the beating of Rodney King, a Black man who was pulled over for a traffic violation. The Posse Comitatus Act prohibits federal troops from engaging in civilian law enforcement unless there is a clear legal or constitutional basis for doing so. It was created to restrict the president's ability to use the military against civilians. The exception to Posse Comitatus is the Insurrection Act, which Trump has not invoked. Instead, Trump invoked Title 10 of the U.S. Code on Armed Services, which limits the troops' actions to protecting federal officials rather than enforcing laws. Title 10 gives Trump authority to deploy the National Guard during 'a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States' and two other specific circumstances. Chris Mirasola of Lawfare wrote that Trump's justification for using this authority is 'factually contestable and, even on the face of the memorandum, unusually weak.' Republican Sen. James Lankford on NBC's Meet the Press argued that by deploying the National Guard, Trump is 'trying to deescalate all the tensions that are there.' Newsom has said that Trump activating National Guard troops is 'purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions' 'This is an American city, and to be able to have an American city where we have people literally flying Mexican flags and saying, 'You cannot arrest us,' cannot be allowed,' Lankford said on Sunday. 'If someone violates the law, no matter what state that they're in, they're in violation of a federal law. They should face consequences for that.' Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin also criticized protesters for carrying Mexican flags. 'They were literally out there protesting, carrying a foreign flag. That is absolutely insane. They are not just peaceful protesters. These are illegals,' he said Sunday on State of the Union. 'Carrying a flag is not illegal, as you know,' CNN's Dana Bash responded. 'Foreign flag while you're attacking law enforcement, it's pretty bad,' Mullin said. Carrying a Mexican flag and saying 'You cannot arrest us' is not a prosecutable offense. It is free speech protected by the First Amendment. And the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) has been clear that anyone found destructing property will be arrested. 'Everyone has the right to peacefully assemble and voice their opinions,' LAPD posted on X. 'However, vandalizing property and attempting to seriously injure officers, whether Federal or LAPD, is not peaceful.' When Meet the Press host Kristen Welker pointed out to Lankford that 'Governor Newsom says there is no unmet law enforcement need. The LAPD says the protests were peaceful,' the senator claimed that it is 'clear' that the LAPD is 'being overwhelmed.' (LAPD has not said they are overwhelmed.) 'This wouldn't be an issue if California didn't promote sanctuary city policies to be able to tell people literally, 'You can violate federal law and live in our state, and no one will arrest you for this,'' Lankford said. 'Now suddenly when they are arrested for federal crimes then suddenly they go into this kind of protest saying, 'No, you can't arrest us here. We're immune from federal law.' That's not true.' Here, Lankford is being misleading. Sanctuary city policies do not grant anyone immunity, they only limit how state and local resources are allocated to aid federal immigration enforcement. Under the Tenth Amendment, states have the right to allocate resources as they see fit, and states have used that amendment in court to justify not assisting with federal immigration raids. It's disturbing that prominent GOP lawmakers are signing on to the president's use of authority to activate the National Guard — against a governor's wishes — and signaling their agreement that deploying active duty Marines against civilians would be fine with them should Trump choose to do so. 'Don't kid yourself they know they are absolutely getting cooked politically [with] their terrible bill and rising prices, and they want to create a violent spectacle to feed their content machine,' Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz posted on X late Saturday. 'It's time for the mainstream media to describe this authoritarian madness accurately.' More from Rolling Stone Trump's Response to L.A. Protests: What We Know The Biggest Boondoggles in Trump's Big Beautiful Bill Donald Trump Is Destroying the Economy and Waging War on the Poor Best of Rolling Stone The Useful Idiots New Guide to the Most Stoned Moments of the 2020 Presidential Campaign Anatomy of a Fake News Scandal The Radical Crusade of Mike Pence
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
2 teens killed northeast of Phoenix add to list of murders at campsites since 1970s
The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office continued to investigate the shooting deaths of two Phoenix area teenagers found dead near a campsite northeast of the Valley. The two were shot and killed by an unknown assailant on May 26, their bodies found by deputies the next day, according to the families of the two victims. Until investigators could identify a lead in the rapidly growing cold case, the two untimely deaths became part of Arizona's list of unsolved murder cases involving campers just beyond the Phoenix metro area. Here's what we know about two past murder cases involving teenage victims — one in 1973, another in 2003 — and now, a third in 2025. Pandora Kjolsrud, 18, and Evan Clark, 17, were found with gunshot wounds just off State Route 87 near Mount Ord, north of Sunflower, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, who found the bodies May 27. Parents of the two victims told The Arizona Republic that the teenagers were on a planned camping trip. An investigation remained ongoing, with the Sheriff's Office asking for the public's help in solving the case. "Your help could be critical in bringing answers and justice to the victims and their families," said Sgt. Joaquin Enriquez, spokesperson for the Sheriff's Office. The Sheriff's Office asked anyone with information about the case to call 602-876-TIPS (602-876-8477). Since the early 1970s, at least six documented murders have involved young people who were shot while enjoying the outdoors just outside the Phoenix area. In 2003, Lisa Gurrieri, 19, and Brandon Rumbaugh, 20, were shot and killed in a still-unsolved double homicide off a road near the Interstate 17. The Scottsdale couple were found dead in the back of a pick-up truck parked off Bumble Bee Road near Black Canyon City, just north of Phoenix. They were found lying inside their sleeping bags, each with multiple gunshot wounds to the head. Investigators ruled out a murder-suicide, said there was no evidence of robbery or sexual assault, and that neither drugs nor alcohol were involved. Family said the couple were celebrating a one year anniversary together. Initially, they planned to go to Disneyland, but that was too pricey for the young couple, so they settled on a camping trip about 30 miles north of Phoenix off of I-17. In March 1973, Shawn Jensen, shot and killed two teenagers picnicking northeast of Phoenix. Kathy Kroger, 17, and James Burgoyne, 19, were killed when Jensen, a Vietnam combat veteran and Purple Heart recipient, had an alleged flashback and shot both of the teenagers in the head. Just like Kjorsrud and Clark, the two teens killed in 1973 were students of Arcadia High School, according to KKTV 11. Jensen was sentenced to two consecutive life terms for the shooting, but his case later came under scrutiny by the American Civil Liberties Union. According to the ACLU of Oklahoma, Jensen had tried to get help mental health treatment in the months prior to the shooting. Since his imprisonment, Jensen was denied parole in both 2018 and 2019, according to the Arizona Department of Corrections. As of May 2025, he remains incarcerated in Eloy. The Arizona Republic's Laurie Roberts and former reporter Jason Pohl contributed to this article. Reach reporter Rey Covarrubias Jr. at rcovarrubias@ Follow him on X, Threads and Bluesky @ReyCJrAZ. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Unsolved murders have happened before at Phoenix area campsites
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Arkansas death row inmate dies in prison of unknown causes
Arkansas death row inmate Latavious Johnson died of unknown causes at the Varner SuperMax prison on Friday afternoon, according to the state's department of corrections. He was in his 40s. The Arkansas Department of Corrections did not provide Johnson's cause of death and declined to comment further. Johnson had received a life sentence for the murder of his father, Johnnie Johnson, in 2000. Johnson was sentenced to death for the 2012 murder of a prison guard, Barbara Ester. Johnson had fatally stabbed Ester with a shank three times and punctured her heart, court records show. She had been investigating whether he had obtained a pair of unauthorized gym shoes in the prison. Johnson expressed remorse for his actions in a statement his lawyers provided to police, court records show. 'I should have just gave the shoes up, just said to hell with it, asked someone to send me some money and order me some more,' Johnson told a police investigator in an interview after the killing, according to court records. 'It's too late for all that now.' A corrections facility in Pine Bluff, Arkansas is named after Ester. ___ Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
