Crime zone

The following accounts were taken from reports filed with the Columbia County Sheriff's office.

Businesses burglarized

Burglaries were reported recently at the Family Dollar Store and K-Mart in Martinez.

Shernelle Lynne Douglas, the manager at the Family Dollar Store on Belair Road, told police someone entered her business after hours Feb. 9 and took four bank bags filled with an unknown amount of cash.

Police discovered someone had pried open a side back door and the door to an inside office, records stated.

The burglary at K-Mart on Washington Road was reported Feb. 8. Robert Ernest Quarles, store manager, said someone entered the front door and forced open the doors to two law-away storage areas.

At the time of his report, Quarles was unsure of what was taken. He said the suspect left his business from a back emergency door.

Boat damaged with shotgun

An Appling man told police Feb. 8 that someone shot his John Boat several times with a shot gun and then left a message written on the boat.

David Edward Partridge said his aluminum boat was shot at least 19 times. A message stating, "I thought I would let the water out of your boat," was found written in red ink on the side of the boat.

Police found 23 shotgun shells at the site.

Construction site theft

A 16-foot-long utility trailer and more than $3,000 in metal curbing was stolen from a Martinez bank construction site between Feb. 7 and 8.

Donald William Small Jr., owner of Small's Construction, said the trailer was parked in front of First Bank of Columbia County on Furys Ferry Road at the time.

When investigators arrived, they found the trailer's tag in a trash can at the scene. The case is considered theft by taking.

Fire calls

Martinez Fire Department activity report for Feb. 3-9:

Structure fire, one; fire alarms, six; medical calls, 20; rescue calls, seven; investigations, five; public service, two.

- Compiled by Preston Sparks