Police blotter
The following accounts were taken from reports filed with the Columbia County Sheriff's Office.
Stolen car in chase
A car reported stolen by a Grovetown woman ended up involved in a police chase early Sunday morning.
Tracell Romona Peace, of the 100 block of Old Wheeler Court, told police that she went outside her home and found her car missing. She said she suspected her ex-boyfriend, whom she has not seen in two months, of taking the car because he has keys to the vehicle, according to a Columbia County Sheriff's Office report.
Shortly before 2 a.m. Sunday, deputies tried to stop a red Mitsubishi Mirage matching the stolen car's description, but the driver led authorities on a chase, sheriff's Capt. Steve Morris said.
Police were able to stop and recover the vehicle, but the driver ran away.
Online scam
An Internet deal went bust for one Grovetown man, who reported an incident of theft by deception after trying to sell his personal watercraft online.
Terry Lee Goodhart, of the 2000 block of Sylvan Lake Drive, posted his Yamaha Waverunner for sale on a Web site. Someone responded saying they were from a London-based brokerage company that had located a buyer willing to pay Goodhart $10,500, according to a Columbia County Sheriff's Office report.
A few days later, the person e-mailed Goodhart with the message that the buyer was settling a claim with a debtor and would receive a cashiers check for $18,000, which the buyer would sign over to Goodhart. Goodhart was instructed to send the difference back to the company, the report stated.
When Goodhart received the cashiers check, he deposited the money in a savings account and withdrew the $7,500 difference for the brokerage company.
After wiring them money, Goodhart received a notice from his bank that the cashiers check was invalid and that he owed the bank the $7,500.
According to the police report, he did not send the Waverunner to the company.
House vandalized
A Grovetown man reported significant vandalism at a vacant house he was trying to rent out.
Robert Frances Norton, of the 300 block of Katherine Street, told police that someone entered his former house, which was empty and advertised for lease.
He said that the vandal or group of vandals destroyed two computers, cut wiring to his well pump, removed circuit breakers from his power pole, cut the electrical wires to his air conditioning unit and tore down a section of his fence, according to a Columbia County Sheriff's Office report.
Also, a portable propane gas tank was stolen, the report stated.
Fire report
Martinez Fire Department activity report for the week of Feb. 14-21:
Structure fires, two; grass fires, two; vehicle fires, three; natural gas leaks, two; fire alarms, eight; medical calls, 29; rescue calls, six; investigations, four; other, two.