Deputies launch homeless crackdown near I-20, Washington Road

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - A little under a week after talking with property owners, deputies on Monday are supposed to launch a program to remove homeless people from problem areas near Interstate 20 and Washington Road.

Deputies met with business owners last week to get permission to go onto the property to remove homeless people. The goal was to get advance authorization so deputies could proactively remove squatters.

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While it’s only day one, there’s a feeling of extra security. Even for newer businesses, there’s hope for change.

“We have had to call the cops a number of times over some of it. Most of the time, they walk through or dance, whatever they were doing, and they make their way towards the bridge,” said Keely Beauford, manager of Cafe Dolce. “But most of the time they aren’t really a bother, but we have had quite a few instances.”

An added check to keep things fresh as they approach one year in business on Washington Road.

But for more seasoned businesses like 2 Boys Pizza and Grill, they say this issue has destroyed their good food reviews.

The owner, Magdy Faltaous, said: “They like to stay in the front in here, and sleep in the front of my door to my business. It’s too much, I’m serious, man. It’s too much.”

He’s been operating for more than two years, but has been in the food business for decades.

Closer to the I-20 bridge, he says he’s also had to call the cops on overdose cases that block people from leaving or entering when authorities arrive.

If things don’t get better soon, he says he may have to leave entirely in six or seven months.

“My customers is scared to come to us now,” said Faltaous. “I feel sorry for them, but nobody feels sorry for me, for my business.”

Deputies could be seen in the area on Monday morning, but the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office wouldn’t comment.

“At this time, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office will not have comment on the homeless initiative for a few weeks in order to gather intel on its effectiveness,” said a spokesman for the agency.

The area, perhaps one of the busiest intersections in the CSRA, has attracted homeless people for years, but the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office has zeroed in on the encampments in recent weeks as a potential source of crime.

After last Tuesday’s meeting with property owners, deputies got permission from at least 17 businesses to clear out homeless people and their possessions.

“We’re not trying to criminalize you for being poor or having mental health issues. But again, we have to protect property owners and the citizens of Richmond County, so that’s the dual role that we have at the sheriff’s office,” said Sheriff Richard Roundtree.

Authorities say they plan to work with the courts to get people help and to make sure their rights aren’t being violated.

“The superior court has three courts of ability, which is a mental health court, the drug addiction court, and the veterans court. They already doing those, already working, in Richmond County,” said Roundtree.

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