VEST SAVES OFFICER IN DRUG SHOOTOUT

Shot Rams Protective Clothing Into Investigator's Abdomen, Causing Minor
Internal Injuries Investigator Doing Well After Surgery To Check For
Internal Injuries After Being Shot

Richmond County narcotics Investigator James Tredore can thank the makers
of his bullet-proof vest for saving his life Thursday morning. The vest
stopped a .357-caliber Magnum bullet fired at him by a suspect arrested in
a drug bust early Thursday. Investigator Tredore, 31, was in good condition
at the Medical College of Georgia Hospital after the shooting.

''He was lucky,'' said Richmond County Sheriff Ronnie Strength. ''If he had
not had that vest on - of course, none of us know the final outcome, but we
know it would have been devastating.''

The officer underwent exploratory surgery Thursday to determine the extent
of injuries to internal organs caused by the force of the bullet, which
rammed part of the vest into his lower right abdomen. The bullet stuck in
the vest.

Sheriff Strength said doctors did not know when Investigator Tredore would
be released.

The man accused in the shooting, Dennis Lee Richardson, 36, of the 1700
block of Fairwood Drive, was being held Thursday in the Richmond County
jail. He is charged with aggravated assault on a police officer and
misdemeanor possession of marijuana. Another target of the drug
investigation, Samuel Vincent Hodge, 25, of the same address, was arrested
and charged with trafficking in cocaine and marijuana possession, Sheriff
Strength said.

Officers expect to file more charges against the two, the sheriff said.

Mr. Richardson shot Investigator Tredore after the officer entered the
residence at 1:14 a.m. and forced open the door of a locked bedroom,
Sheriff Strength said. When the officer called for help, Investigator Mike
Williamson entered and Investigator Tredore pointed to the closet where Mr.
Richardson was hiding, the sheriff said.

Investigator Williamson ordered Mr. Richardson to drop his weapon, and when
he didn't, the officer fired one shot from his .40-caliber Glock, which
struck a wall. Mr. Richardson then threw his weapon to the floor and
surrendered, the sheriff said.

Officers searched the residence and seized about 8 ounces of powdered
cocaine, a small amount of marijuana, a .40 caliber Glock semi-automatic
handgun and the .357-caliber Magnum, they said.

Two other people in the house were questioned and released. They are
Johnnie Lee Smallwood, 24, who also lives at the Fairwood Drive residence,
and his 16-year-old girlfriend. The teen will be charged with disorderly
conduct and turned over to juvenile authorities, Sheriff Strength said.

Narcotics officers suspected illegal drug activity at the house and had
been watching it for quite a while before Thursday's raid, Sheriff Strength
said.

Before the raid, officers stopped Mr. Hodge on Gordon Highway and used his
key to enter the house, which has an iron gate on the front door and
burglar bars on the windows.

Sheriff's office policy calls for all officers to wear bullet-proof vests,
but they may use their

discretion about wearing them when the heat index reaches 95 degrees.
Narcotics officers, however, are required to wear them on all raids.

Many people think that when a projectile hits a bullet-proof vest, it
ricochets off, but that is not the case, Sheriff Strength said.

''There's some blunt-force trauma (at the point of contact) if it hits,
especially with this .357 Magnum handgun, which is a very, very powerful
gun,'' he said.

''When we got to the hospital, our officer was bleeding. There was a bullet
hole. He was taken to the hospital. The doctors even said, 'We've got to go
in there and find the bullet.' The bullet was later located in the vest,
but by all appearances it did look like the bullet was entered into his body.''

The vests are lighter and better now than in past years and are getting
better every year, Sheriff Strength said.

''We're looking at some now that look like a T-shirt,'' Sheriff Strength
said. ''This particular one was not. But it did the job.''

Investigator Tredore has been with the sheriff's office since 1993. He was
promoted to investigator in 1999 and worked in the burglary section before
being transferred to the narcotics division May 1, 2000.

THE LIFESAVER

This is the type of vest that saved the life of Richmond County Sheriff's
Deputy James Tredore:

Ultima, threat Level II, made by Second Chance of Central Lake, Mich.

The outer shell is made of Kevlar, an organic fiber introduced by DuPont
Co. in the 1970s that's five times stronger than steel on an equal basis
weight but much lighter. The insert that goes into the vest is made of a
fiber introduced by Second Chance called Zylon.

The vest is guaranteed to stop all hand-gun projectiles, including bullets
ranging from a 9 mm pistol to a .44-caliber Magnum.

It is not guaranteed to protect the wearer from knives, sharp-edged or
pointed instruments, center-fire rifle projectiles, steel-core armor
piercing or special-purpose projectiles or rounds that achieve
higher-than-standard factory velocities.

A vest costs from $400 to $600.

Source: Second Chance

PRIOR ARRESTS

Thursday wasn't the first time Dennis Lee Richardson and Samuel Vincent
Hodge have had brushes with the law. Here are some of their prior arrests:

Mr. Richardson was arrested in:

April; charged with shoplifting and misdemeanor marijuana possession

Mr. Hodge was arrested in:

January; charged with misdemeanor reckless conduct

February 2000, September 1999 and October 1998 on misdemeanor probation
violations

July 1998; charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct

July 1998; charged with misdemeanor marijuana possession

January 1998; charged with misdemeanor carrying a concealed weapon

February 1997; charged with misdemeanor criminal trespass

October 1997 and December 1997; charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct

August 1997; charged with misdemeanor probation violation

November 1996; charged with misdemeanor simple battery

Source: Richmond County court and jail records

POLICE FATALITIES

At least five local police officers and deputies have been fatally wounded
in the line of duty since 1970:

July 16, 1997: Officer Michael D. Stephenson, a Richmond County school
safety officer, was shot and killed by a burglar he had placed unhandcuffed
in the back of his car after responding to an alarm at Jamestown Elementary
School.

December 18, 1990: Sgt. Charles Thomas Hammock of the Augusta Police
Department was shot and killed while exiting his personal vehicle to go
into his apartment. Police say three people shot Sgt. Hammock for no reason.

July 3, 1988: Officer Herbert Lee Evans Jr. of the Augusta Police
Department was killed at the Law Enforcement Center in an accidental
shooting by another officer.

Jan. 1, 1979: Richmond County sheriff's Deputy Larry Douglas Stevens was
shot and killed while investigating a domestic dispute.

Jan. 1, 1970: Officer James D. Harris of the Augusta Police Department was
shot and killed while responding to a call about a domestic dispute. Reach
Sylvia Cooper at (706) 823-3228 or sylviaco@augustachronicle.com.