Police blotter
The following accounts were taken from reports filed with the Columbia County Sheriff's Office.
Student beaten
A Lakeside High School student was beaten up at a Martinez convenience store Dec. 8.
Two 17-year-old Lakeside High students, stopped at the Circle K at 446 Old Evans Road at about 10:30 p.m. to get gas when two men in a Mitsubishi Eclipse pulled into the parking lot, according to a Columbia County Sheriff's Office report.
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One teen told police that an argument with the men turned violent when one began hitting him, causing swelling around his right eye and severely lacerating his upper lip, the report stated.
EMTs treated the teen at the scene, but he was later taken to the hospital by his father, according to the report.
Truck stolen
A Martinez man could not find his truck after renting a car.
Travis Williard Bohler of Thomson rented a car from Enterprise Rent-A-Car on Bobby Jones Expressway on Friday. With permission from dealership staff, Bohler left his 1988 Chevrolet C1500 pick-up parked on the lot, according to a Columbia County Sheriff's Office report.
When Bohler returned the vehicle Sunday, he could not find his truck, which was left parked next to the building near Marsella Avenue, the report stated.
Police found what appeared to be window glass and steering column parts where Bohler said he left the truck, the report stated.
Theft charge
A Grovetown woman was charged with theft by conversion after police say she stole and used more than $2,000 belonging to her boss.
Michelle Hernandez, 36, of the 3500 block of Gordon Highway, was arrested Saturday after police escorted her boss, Angela Delaine Thurman, to pick up money that Hernandez had spent, according to a Columbia County Sheriff's Office report.
Thurman, the owner of McGillicuddy Works, was escorted by police to Hernandez's home to retrieve a cell phone, money orders, keys and rental payments from Thurman's renters that Hernandez had collected, the report stated.
Hernandez returned the items to Thurman including a blue bank bag, which she told Thurman did not contain the money, because she had spent it on personal bills, the report stated. Thurman told the escorting deputy that Hernandez had spent all of the $2,776.74.
Hernandez was arrested on theft by conversion charges and taken to the Columbia County Detention Center. She was released Sunday after posting a $2,550 bond.
An Augusta man was arrested early Saturday morning after firing his gun in the air to stop a fight.
James William Brown, of Martinez, told police that Norris McKinnley Newman Jr., 41, of the 2100 block of Sanders Road, came to his home regarding the bill of sale for a vehicle that Brown sold him. He said the two argued and Newman pushed him, according to a Columbia County Sheriff's Office incident report.
Brown said Newman left in his vehicle, immediately turned around and parked in front of the residence, where he apologized for pushing Brown, the report stated. According to Brown, a man approached Newman and started a verbal argument, which is when Brown saw Newman shoot a gun in the air. Brown told police he never saw the man hit Newman.
Newman said when he was apologizing, he was confronted by the man, who stated, "Leave my cousin alone," and punched him in the mouth. Newman said he got his Smith and Wesson .38-caliber handgun out of his truck and fired it into the air to get the man to leave him alone, the report stated.
EMT's treated Newman's split lip on the scene. He was charged with disorderly conduct and discharging a firearm, was taken to the Columbia County Detention Center and was released on a $2,100 bond Saturday. Brown waived prosecution for simple battery, the report stated.
Trees cut, stolen
Seven mature oak trees were cut down and removed from the property of Grovetown resident Trent Wisenhunt during October or November.
The property is part of a developing residential neighborhood on the 500 block of Ihnen Court in Martinez. Wisenhunt, 51, stated that the stolen trees would reduce the value of his property by an estimated $15,000, according to a Columbia County Sheriff's Office report.
He wants to prosecute if a suspect is identified, the report stated.
Peeping Toms
Two women recently became the victims of peeping Toms.
A 17-year-old Martinez teen told police she saw a 6-foot-tall man in dark pants and a white shirt standing at her back door Thursday. The man ran off as soon as she noticed him, according to a Columbia County Sheriff's Office report.
Rebecca Mitchell Morris, of the 400 block of Evans Mill Circle, also reported that someone rang her doorbell several times Tuesday. When she went to see who was there, she turned around and saw a man looking in her bathroom window, according to a Columbia County Sheriff's Office report. The man fled when she screamed, the report stated, and police found no evidence.
Morris told police she would prosecute if a suspect is identified.
Fire report
Martinez Fire Department Activity Report for the week of Dec. 7-13:
Structure fire, one; controlled burns, two; fire alarms, five; carbon monoxide, two; medical calls, 28; rescue calls, three; public service, one; and investigations, two.