Police say fleeing woman abandoned children

AUGUSTA - Police searched Thursday for a woman they said left her two children by the side of a road while trying to escape arrest in a hit-and-run accident. <br> <br> Joyce Smith Thomas, 45, of Augusta was accused of hitting a parked vehicle Tuesday night and of leaving an injured 51-year-old woman in the passenger seat and abandoning her children while she fled, police said. <br> <br> Deputies said they found the boys 3 and 5 standing near the road. They were placed in foster care. <br> <br> Police said Thomas had a suspended license when she wrecked about 9 p.m. Tuesday. Witnesses said she crossed the center line and hit a pickup parked on the side of the road. <br> <br> Thomas was wanted on charges that included contributing to the deprivation of a minor, hit and run, and driving on a suspended license.

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