Police reports
The following accounts were taken from reports filed with the Columbia County Sheriff's office.
Deputy finds stolen van
A Columbia County sheriff's deputy on routine patrol discovered a van stolen in South Carolina during a traffic stop.
Deputy Christopher Railey said in his report that he was driving north on South Belair Road behind a gray Chevrolet van about 12:45 a.m. on May 4 when the van made a U-turn across all lanes of traffic. The sudden maneuver, the deputy reported, almost caused his car to collide with the van.
Railey turned around and stopped the van near the intersection with Oakley Pirkle Road.
The driver, David Callahan, was arrested on traffic and DUI charges.
Railey also checked on the van and found that it had been reported stolen in Richland County, S.C.
Callahan, a resident of Lexington, S.C., was then charged with theft by receiving stolen property.
Vigilant neighbor foils break-in
An Evans man who got out of bed to get a drink in the middle of the night foiled a break-in when he saw a stranger in a neighbor's backyard.
Harvey Lee Hayes, of 4354 Azalea Drive, said he got out of bed about 2:56 a.m. to get a drink when he heard a loud bang outside. He looked in the direction of the noise and saw a stranger in dark clothes in the backyard of Kely Dawn Hassman, of 4356 Azalea Drive.
He said he knew his neighbors were out of town so he called the sheriff's office.
When deputies arrived, the intruder jumped a fence and ran away. Deputies could not find the intruder.
Resident reports stolen guns
An Evans resident reported that someone broke into his home and took two handguns and ammunition.
Steven Plueger, of 4171 Arlington Road, said he noticed on May 5 that jewelry was missing but decided not to report the matter.
However, the next day, he noticed that two handguns and ammunition were missing. He then decided to call police.
He said the missing items were a .357 Smith and Wesson valued at $300 and a .380 Colt valued at $300.
He also said ammunition for both weapons was missing. He placed the value of the ammunition at $100.