A registered sex offender with pending drug charges was arrested Saturday at the Columbus County Fair.
Augustus Sharee Huggins, 35, of 2844 Fruit Ridge Rd., Whiteville, was charged with being a sex offender on premises with children, and held under no bond, according to arrest reports.
Huggins was convicted of statutory rape of a 13-15 year old girl in 2012, and confined for five years and 11 months. Huggins, who was 20 when convicted, was released in 2016. On his conviction he was also sentenced to register as a sex offender for ten years.
The sheriff’s office said in a press release that Huggins was arrested in May 2025 after a longterm undercover investigation into alleged drug sales near Whiteville. Huggins and Michael Bullock were taken into custody. Investigators seized methamphetamine, opiates, heroin, marijuana, and a stolen firearm in the investigation. Huggins was arrested for trafficking meth, heroin and opiates. He was also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and altering the serial number on the gun. He was out on bond pending trial when he was arrested Saturday.
In August, he was arrested for driving while license revoked and released on bond, according to court records.
