Police blotter
The following accounts were taken from reports filed with the Columbia County Sheriff's Office.
Beating during search
A Martinez man was beaten while looking for another man.
Jason Paul Lucas, 26, of 113 Highview Drive, Martinez, was riding on Jessie Road with a friend listed as Wade in a Columbia County Sheriff's Office incident report, as the friend looked for someone named Antonio.
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The two came to the end of the road, where a group of eight men were gathered and asked if anyone knew Antonio, the report stated. When the group denied seeing Antonio, Wade asked for marijuana. The group approached the truck and pulled Lucas from the passenger seat. One held a knife to his throat while the other seven men punched and kicked him, Lucas told deputies.
Wade drove away. Lucas stated after the attack, the group took $140 from Lucas' wallet and his cigarettes, the report stated. When the group left, Lucas was able to walk to his mother's residence. She took him to Doctors Hospital, where the sheriff's office was called.
Lucas gave officers a Georgia driver's license he picked up at the scene.
Principal harassed
A parent of Evans High School students recently was charged with making harassing phone calls to the school's principal.
Andrea Smith Makin, 43, continually called Principal Don Brigdon's telephone at work leaving harassing messages all afternoon, according to a Columbia County Sheriff's Office incident report.
Previously, Superior Court Judge Duncan Wheale issued a court order preventing Makin from having contact with her children at school, the report stated. Makin had been issued a trespass warrant by the school public safety officer in earlier incident.
Magistrate Sam Washington was notified and issued a warrant for Makin's arrest.
Campground gate rammed
The gate of Winfield Campground recently was rammed by a camper.
Roy Lee Green, 66, park attendant, noticed a maroon vehicle parked in Lot 61 that was not there at closing the night before, stated a Columbia County Sheriff's Office incident report. He then found damage to the campground's metal exit gate - it was forced inward. While Deputy Ted Powers interviewed him, Green pointed out a maroon Nissan Maxima, which the deputy stopped.
Powers interviewed the driver, Christopher Holley, and the passenger, Christopher Bailey. Both claimed to not know how the vehicle got into the campground.
He then interviewed Jenee' McGough, camping at the site, who stated Holley told her that his stepfather, Bailey, had rammed the gate with the rear of the Maxima, the report stated. During a second interview with Holley, he said McGough's story was true.
Bailey was arrested for criminal trespass, the report stated. Magistrate Judge Chris Leopard issued a warrant and Bailey was taken to the Columbia County Detention Center.
Repossessed vehicle missing
The owner of a local car dealership recently found a repossessed vehicle missing from his home.
William O. Reese, owner of Catfish Used Cars at 1502 Gordon Highway, Augusta, sold a 1994 Chevrolet GMT-400 in February to a man listed as Mr. Collins in a Columbia County Sheriff's Office incident report. Reese repossessed the truck and took it to his home on the 3800 block of Gordon Highway, Harlem.
Reese discovered the truck missing early Saturday morning. The truck was then listed by the sheriff's office as stolen.
Food Lion thief caught
Police charged a man with shoplifting from area businesses.
John Rinya was in the Food Lion at 365 South Belair Road Friday when he saw a man with a full cart leave the store without paying, and load beer, food, clothing and a sealed VCR into a white Volvo. Rinya notified store employees, according to a Columbia County Sheriff's Office incident report.
When a deputy arrived, he found the 1997 Volvo but no driver. Mary Jones, the car's owner, and her sister, Dorothy Berrien, came to the car, but denied ownership of the unopened VCR and six bags of new clothes.
The suspect was located at a car wash on South Belair Road at Ridge Crossing and was returned to the scene. He had a bag of new socks and shirts with Family Dollar markings, but no receipt, the report stated.
He was arrested for shoplifting and taken to the Columbia County Detention Center. The food and beer was returned to the store and the clothes and VCR taken as evidence.
Fire report
Martinez Fire Department activity report for May 4-10: structure fires, five; vehicle fires, two; controlled burn, one; fire alarms, seven; natural gas leak, one; medical calls, 23; rescue calls, ten; investigations, three; public service, one; other, one.