Police blotter

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

Vandals break in

Conga drums and a sport utility vehicle were damaged by burglars over the Fourth of July weekend.

Allyson Marie Birong of Martinez told police that someone broke into her garage and smashed a set of conga and bongo drums worth about $630. They also damaged a 1987 Chevrolet Blazer belonging to her boyfriend, John Henry Madden of Augusta.

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The intruders punctured the tires, slashed the interior and cracked the windshield, according to an incident report.

A deputy noted that the windshield was hit in three different places by what he believes as a fist. He wrote in the report that he found blood around the impact areas of the windshield and on the floor next to the SUV.

An investigator was called to the scene.

Medicine theft

An Evans woman recently reported the theft of prescription medications.

Laura Varney Green of Evans told authorities an acquaintance of hers came to her home to borrow money. Green said she got her purse, opened it then left it on the kitchen table while she checked on her children. When she returned she noticed her purse had been moved, but gave $15 to the man anyway and allowed him to leave.

When he left, Green said she checked her purse and found two bottles of prescription anti-inflammatory pills missing.

Check forgery

An Augusta man accused a woman working at his home of stealing $5,000.

John Lloyd Rhinehart Jr. of the 200 block of Deerfield Lane in Augusta told a Columbia County Sheriff's Office deputy he recently discovered a large number of his checks had been used without permission by, he believes, a woman working in his home.

The total value of the purchases made by the woman using Rhinehart's checks is around $5,000.

Gas payment pocketed

An unidentified teen walked away with the money from a gas purchase in Harlem Wednesday.

Julie Ann Paulus, a cashier at the Pumpkin Center Store, 1313 Appling-Harlem Highway, told officers that a young man in his late teens pumped $7.81 worth of gas into a 1994 beige Toyota station wagon. After the gas was pumped, Paulus said that an elderly man driving the car handed the teen money.

The teen then entered the store, walked around, and exited without paying for the gas.