Police blotter
The following accounts were taken from reports filed with the Columbia County Sheriff's Office.
SUV shot
A Harlem man's vehicle was shot at early Saturday morning while traveling on Wrightsboro Road.
Keith Wade McCauley, of the 1300 block of Intermediate Road, told police he was traveling near 5967 Wrightsboro Road when he heard what sounded like a gunshot, and something hit the rear driver's side of his 1999 Chevrolet Blazer, according to a Columbia County Sheriff's Office report.
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McCauley stopped at the intersection of Intermediate Road to call the sheriff's office. A small dent and chipped paint was visible in the vehicle, and the damage was consistent with a small-caliber weapon, the report stated.
Police checked the area, but found no suspects.
Car stolen from driveway
An Evans teen returned to the driveway of her boyfriend's Martinez home early Saturday morning to find her car gone.
Miranda Kaye Cantrell, 17, went to her boyfriend's residence on the 4500 block of Jessie Road, to collect her coat and money left there. Miranda told police that just after midnight Friday, she left the engine of the 1995 Chevrolet Camaro running in the driveway while she went inside for about 15 minutes, according to a Columbia County Sheriff's Office report.
When she came back outside, the car, which was owned by the teen's mother, was gone, the report stated.
Deputy Thomas Langford spotted the vehicle at 12:26 a.m. speeding on Belair Road from Interstate 20, the report stated. When Langford turned around to stop the driver, the car sped up and turned onto Avery Avenue. As the deputy tried to catch up to the Camaro, the driver sped down the road and went into the driveway of a residence and crashed into the woods, the report stated.
The driver fled from the vehicle before deputies could get to it, the report stated. The vehicle sustained extensive damage and was towed.
Peeping Tom caught
A Martinez man was arrested on peeping Tom charges early Saturday morning after police say he was caught looking through windows of a neighbor's home.
Amy Vaughn Shenk, of the 440 block of Misty Cove Court, called her father at about midnight Friday because she believed someone was outside her home, according to a Columbia County Sheriff's Office report.
When Shenk's father arrived, he found Tracy King under a wood deck in the back yard, the report stated. King said he was looking for a fox. Shenk identified King as living across the street, the report stated.
Earlier in the night, King had knocked on Shenk's back door, introduced himself and tried to initiate a conversation, according to the report. Shenk ended the conversation and closed the door, but King continued to knock on both the front and back doors, the report stated. Shenk turned off all the lights in an attempt to discourage King, which is when she called her father.
When deputies arrived at Shenk's home, another neighbor came to the residence and told deputies he saw King looking into Shenk's house.
King was arrested on peeping Tom charges and released on a $1,050 bond a few hours later.
Trespasser in bushes
A Grovetown man returned home from work Friday to find a man hiding in his front yard.
Paul Ivey Kirkland, of the 800 block of Polatty Drive, pulled into his driveway at about 6:45 p.m. and saw a man in a light-colored jacket in his front yard crouching in some brush, according to the Columbia County Sheriff's Office report. The man ran away down Polatty Drive.
Kirkland told police the johnboat on a trailer in his front yard had been repositioned to face the street - opposite from its position when he left for work Friday morning, the report stated.
The case was turned over an investigator.
Identity thief
A suspected identity thief's plan was foiled after the manager of a local Radio Shack became suspicious.
Joe Edward Powell, manager of the Radio Shack at 4463 Washington Road Evans, told police that a middle-aged man came into the store Dec. 3 and applied for an in-store credit card. After it was approved, the man started to bring computers and other high-end merchandise to the counter for purchase with his new card, according to a Columbia County Sheriff's Office report.
Powell said he became suspicious and went to his office to verify the man's identity, the report stated. While Powell was in the back, the man left the store. Powell contacted the Rockford, Ill., man whose personal information was used to obtain the card and informed him of the situation, the report stated.
A surveillance videotape of the transaction was taken into evidence, the report stated.
Fire report
Martinez Fire Department Activity Report for the week of Nov. 30 through Dec. 6:
Structure fires, six; grass fire, one; vehicle fire, one; dumpster fire, one; fire alarms, eight; natural gas leak, one; medical calls, 27; rescue calls, five; investigations, six; public service, one; and other, one.