AUGUSTA, GA — A Florida couple was arrested early Tuesday morning on Interstate 520 after Richmond County deputies discovered them leading a convoy of six stolen golf carts down the highway shoulder at approximately 12 miles per hour, with hazard lights fashioned from duct-taped cell phone flashlights.
Beau Clayton Riggins, 33, and Tammy Lynn Riggins, 31, of Jacksonville, Florida, allegedly broke into the cart barn at Augusta Country Club — a private club unaffiliated with Augusta National — around 2 a.m. and hot-wired six E-Z-GO golf carts. Investigators believe the couple intended to drive the carts approximately 280 miles back to Jacksonville, a trip that would have taken an estimated 23 hours at top golf cart speed.
A Slow-Speed Multi-Vehicle Heist
The logistics of the plan required both Rigginses to drive three carts apiece. According to the arrest report, they accomplished this by towing two carts behind each driven cart using tow straps and bungee cords purchased from a nearby Dollar General. The improvised tow system failed almost immediately, resulting in one cart jackknifing into a ditch before they reached the I-520 on-ramp.
“They told me they were ‘relocating inventory for a golf cart dealership.’ At 2 a.m. On the interstate. In pajamas. With Florida plates. I’ve been a deputy for nine years and this is the most Florida thing that has ever happened in Georgia.” — Deputy Cole Marchetti, Richmond County SO
When asked why they targeted Augusta during Masters week, Beau Riggins reportedly told officers, “Everyone’s distracted. It’s the perfect crime. Nobody’s watching the other golf courses.” Tammy Riggins declined to comment but was observed shaking her head throughout her husband’s statement.
The couple was booked into the Richmond County Jail on six counts of grand theft each, plus charges of obstruction of a highway and driving an unlicensed vehicle on a public road. Five of the six carts were recovered; the sixth remains in the ditch and is expected to be towed Thursday. Their joint booking on JailReport.lol is trending under both the Florida Man and Augusta tags. Bond has been set at $8,000 each.