Police blotter

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

Safe emptied at car wash

When the assistant manager of a Martinez car wash went to the safe for the day's money, he found the safe empty.

Barrett Christian Smith, 25, the assistant manager of the Top Notch Car Wash at 3853 Washington Road, Martinez, went into the business's office to retrieve the cash from the safe and found $911.50 in cash, a bank bag and a lock box missing, according to a police report.

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The doors to the office showed no damage or signs of forced entry. The safe showed no signs of forced entry, the report stated.

Tattoo kit stolen from Martinez residence

A burglar broke into a Martinez home recently and left with only the owner's tattoo kit.

Darren Leon Hackett, 31, returned to his home in the 400 block of Windtree Court, Martinez, after only a couple of hours, to find the rear door of the home had been forced open and a $300 personal tattoo kit missing, a police report stated. Nothing else was damaged or missing.

Deputy finds mailbox far from home

A Columbia County Sheriff's Office deputy recently discovered a mailbox on the shoulder of Interstate 20, far from its Grovetown home.

Deputy Robert J. Kearney discovered a black metal mailbox on the west shoulder of I-20 in the early hours of the morning, according to a police report. The mailbox contained three envelopes addressed to Iran J. Mansell of Annie Laurie Drive, Grovetown.

Kearney went to the residence and located Mansell, who said the mailbox was secure on its post at 10 p.m. the previous night and someone must have stolen it, the report stated.

Dental office vandalized with paint

The property of an Evans dental practice was recently vandalized with red spray paint.

David Horton Brantley, 49, the owner of Pediatric Dental Specialists, discovered someone had spray-painted the business's sign, mailbox, parking lot and retaining wall with florescent red paint, a police report stated. Damage to the business at 495 Fury's Ferry Road, is estimated at more than $2,000.