Police blotter

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

Forged check

According to a Columbia County Sheriff's Office report, Vera McKay, 77, of Martinez paid Robert Anthony Walker, 24, for unspecified services with a $40 check.

Last week, she received a notice from SouthTrust Bank that Walker cashed a check in her name in the amount of $3,040. Walker is being sought by authorities for first degree forgery.

Shingles stolen

Michael Brent Lewis, of the Windmill Plantation subdivision in Appling, reported to the Columbia County Sheriff's Office that an unknown man pulled up to a construction site in a blue Mazda truck, threw nine bundles of shingles into the back and sped away.

The estimated cost of the shingles was not listed.

Wife takes computer

An Evans man recently reported that his wife stole his computer.

James Espinola Fingerof the 4000 block of Eagle Nest Drive, owns Network Data Services in Evans. Finger told Columbia County Sheriff's deputies that his wife, only listed at Mrs. Finger in the incident report, stole the computer out of his home office.

Finger's wife told him that she took the computer out of town. She later told deputies that she thought the computer was a gift and would return it to her husband as soon as she could retrieve it from its present location.

Burned shoplifter arrested

A loss prevention officer, James Thomas Johnson, of the Bobby Jones Expressway Wal-Mart recently nabbed a would-be shoplifter.

Johnson reported to Columbia County Sheriff's deputies that a man listed only as Mr. Barnes attempted to steal two tool sets by changing the UPC codes on the items. Allegedly, Johnson witnessed Barnes remove the UPC codes of items worth $14.96 and put them on the tool sets worth $89.92 each. He then purchased the mislabeled items and tried to leave the store.

Johnson approached Barnes at that point who then attempted to flee. Johnson tackled Barnes where he discovered a large burn on his arm, which Barnes said he received from working on his car two days prior to this incident. Barnes was taken to Doctors Hospital and treated for the burn prior to his arrest.

"Stolen" car falsely reported

Gary Tate, 23, of Harlem reported his brown Oldsmobile Delta 88 stolen to the Columbia County Sheriff's Office early last week.

While the deputy was filling out the report a Grovetown Department of Public Safety officer arrived and positively identified Tate as a suspect who evaded him only hours earlier for a traffic violation.

Police allege the suspect abandoned the car just to report it stolen to deflect the blame of running from the authorities. Tate was arrested by Grovetown Public Safety and was later transferred to the Columbia County Detention Center where he was also charged with false report of a crime.