Police reports
The following accounts were taken from reports filed with the Columbia County Sheriff's office.
Suspicious Fire
At 4:30 p.m. Thursday, officer A.J. Lyons was called to assist the Martinez Fire Department on a structure fire at 632 Furys' Ferry Road.
The single story ranch-style home was owned by John Carter, of Holiday Drive, North Augusta, and had been vacant and for sale for over a year.
No cause of the fire was named at the scene, but Chief Doug Cooper said due to the suspicious nature of the fire, the case is being turned over to the State Fire Marshall's Office for further investigation.
Construction problems
Vandalism to an unoccupied home under construction was reported last Friday by Timothy Camp, of Nathan Jones Road, Harlem.
When he returned to the home, Camp found someone had defecated on a pile of new building materials and in a bucket on the second floor of the residence on the 6,000 block of Harlem-Grovetown Rd. between 6 p.m. last Wednesday and 8 a.m. Friday.
Camp has had problems with persons unknown driving all-terrain vehicles on the property.
The property was placed on concentrated patrol. Camp will prosecute if the suspect is identified.
Ex-boyfriend trouble
At 2:54 p.m. Saturday, Ladonna Maria Crooker, 34, of the 4,600 block of Columbia Rd., reported to police that her ex-boyfriend punched out the passenger window of her vehicle as she attempted to leave her home.
Crooker had previously asked Ronald Warren Pate, 40, of 200 block of Fiske Loop, not to come onto her property.
By 10 p.m. Saturday evening, Crooker reported Pate to Columbia County officers again for harassing phone calls. She received 46 calls between the earlier police report and the second called in at 9:53 p.m. This was proven by Pate's number on her phone caller identification system.
Each time Pate called, Crooker asked him not to call again.
Crooker plans to see the Columbia County Magistrate Court about a pre-warrant application and prosecution for criminal trespassing and harassing phone calls.
Playground arson
Columbia County officers were called to assist the Martinez Fire Department Saturday with a small structure fire at Westmont Elementary School on Oakley Pirkle Road.
A fire was put out in a wooden tunnel on a piece of playground equipment on the school's west side.
According to Chief Doug Cooper, it looks like some pinestraw was placed in the tunnel and set on fire, possibly with a cigarette.
The structure received only minor damage. The county will prosecute for second degree arson if the suspect is identified.