Police blotter
The following accounts were taken from reports filed with the Columbia County Sheriff's Office:
Deputies involved in chase identified
The Columbia County Sheriff's Office has identified the three deputies involved in a chase and shooting Saturday night, along with the man who was wounded.
Sheriff's Capt. Steve Morris said deputies Gil Lopez Jr., Ronald Hynson and James Graham have been placed on administrative leave with pay in accordance with office policy.
Morris identified the man who was shot by one of the officers as Jerome Aaron Stokes, 33, of West Lake Shore Drive in Martinez. He remained at Medical College of Georgia Hospital on Monday, but a spokeswoman said she could not provide information on his condition.
Morris did not say which officer fired the weapon.
The incident occurred at about 10 p.m. Saturday when Stokes ignored requests by deputies to stop his Chevrolet S10 pickup at McCormick Road near Old Evans Road, Morris said.
Police tried to surround Stokes' truck at Stevens Creek Road and River Watch Parkway. However, Stokes rammed several police cruisers and drove to River Watch Parkway at Furys Ferry Road in Richmond County, where police pulled him from the truck, Morris said. The captain said shots were fired as Stokes fled in his vehicle from the police roadblock at Stevens Creek and River Watch.
Manager reports missing cigarettes
The manager of a Martinez drug store told police Friday that someone stole a case of cigarettes from the store.
The manager of Walgreen's at 4470 Columbia Road said that during inventory he noticed a case of 25 cartons of cigarettes was missing. After reviewing the store's surveillance video tapes from previous days, the manager said he witnessed a man walk behind the front counter on Oct. 19 and take the carton, worth $750, according to a sheriff's office incident report.
Worker reports water theft
A Columbia County Water and Sewerage Department employee told police Friday that a Martinez resident had been stealing water services, a sheriff's office report states.
The employee, who was reading water meters Friday, told police he believed a resident of Silver Mine Bluff in Martinez had been using county water without paying for it. The employee said the resident was approximately two months behind on his water bill. When checking the meter Friday, the employee said someone had tampered with the water meter twice since Aug. 22, the report stated.
The employee said he found a straight pipe had been installed since water department employees last checked the meter.
When the employee told the resident a sheriff's deputy was on the way, the resident said he was on his way to pay the entire $300.05 balance, which was paid in full, the report stated.
Woman's car is found wrecked after theft
A Martinez woman's car was located wrecked Saturday, only hours after the car was allegedly stolen.
The woman told police someone stole her 1996 Ford Taurus from the driveway of her Martinez home between Friday night and 8:45 a.m. Saturday morning. She said the car was left unlocked with the keys inside, according to a sheriff's office incident report.
Before the woman reported the car stolen, deputies responded to a one-car wreck on Gordon Highway at Bath Road. They found a silver Ford Taurus on the shoulder of the road with the front end resting against a utility pole, the report states. Police ran the tag number and found it was owned by the woman.
Martinez-Columbia Fire Rescue activity report for the week of Oct. 16-22:
Structure fires, three; grass fire, one; vehicle fires, four; dumpster fires, one; controlled burns, seven; fire alarms, three; natural gas, three; medical calls, 14; rescue calls, eight; investigations, three; and other, three.