Police blotter

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

Soldier charged

Columbia County authorities brought from New York last week a Martinez man accused of child pornography and desertion from the U.S. Army.

Spc. Michael Ray White left his home on the 3900 block of Almon Drive for Fort Gordon in January 2003.

A year later, White turned himself in at the Fort Hamilton Mental Shelter in New York City, Columbia County sheriff's Lt. Gilbert Lopez said.

After his disappearance, White's wife, Ramona, reported him missing to police. An investigator discovered child pornography on Smith's computer while investigating his disappearance, according to a police report.

Following a recent court ruling in which a New York judge decided White is competent to face a child pornography charge in Columbia County, deputies retrieved him and drove him back to Georgia, Lopez said.

Army officials have not decided whether they will prosecute White for desertion or discharge him from service, said Fort Gordon spokeswoman Marla Jones.

Noise complaint

Two Martinez teens were arrested Monday morning after police received a loud music complaint.

Columbia County sheriff's Deputy Shawn Merzlak responded to the excessive noise complaint at a home on the 500 block of Crystal Creek West.

The deputy wrote in a police report that he was familiar with the residence, because he knew it to be the home of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who was wanted on a failure to appear in court warrant.

After knocking on the door for several minutes, Merzlak said Kareem's 17-year-old brother, Ali, answered, according to the police report. Merzlak told Ali that he wanted to speak with Kareem, 18, but Ali said his brother was in Charleston, S.C.

The officer warned Ali that he could be arrested for lying about Kareem's whereabouts, but he continued to say his brother wasn't there, the report stated.

Merzlak reported that he saw Kareem peeking out of an upstairs door.

Kareem came downstairs after being ordered to by Merzlak and was arrested. The deputy also charged Ali with obstruction of a law enforcement officer.

Both brothers were released from the Columbia County Detention Center the next day - Ali on a $1,050 bond and Kareem per a court order.

Fight charges

A Martinez man is accused of getting into two separate fights Monday.

Paul Robert Williams Jr. was visiting his sister on the 4000 block of Redgate Court because he reported that she was afraid of her male roommate.

Witnesses reported that the roommate had been at an Augusta house most of the day drinking and got into a fight while there, according to a Columbia County Sheriff's Office report.

When the man came home, he found Williams sitting on the front porch and tried to pick a fight with him when Williams refused to give him a ride.

Williams told police he tried to avoid his sister's roommate by going inside the home, but the man followed him while threatening him. Others at the scene tried to restrain the man, but he broke free, lunged for Williams and tried to put him in a headlock, the report stated. A fight broke out until others could step in and separate the two men.

A deputy noted that the man was highly intoxicated and belligerent, but he was not arrested for the incident. Williams reported that he did not want to prosecute.

Building scam

After paying someone to build a fence Tuesday, a Martinez man said the work was never done and he couldn't find the builder.

Michael Terry Rayburn, of the 200 block of West Kostwick Drive, told police he contracted with a man to build a fence. He said he paid the man $1,000 up front to purchase building materials and that the work should have begun the next day.

Rayburn said the building materials were not delivered Wednesday.

He said he called the building supply company the builder said he was buying the materials from, but store employees said the man had not been there. He also tried to contact the man, but was unsuccessful, the report stated.

Fire report

Martinez Fire Department Activity Report for the week of April 4-10:

Structure fires, two; woods fire, one; grass fires, seven; vehicle fire, one; natural gas leaks, one; carbon monoxide, one; fire alarms, eight; medical calls, 19; rescue calls, seven; investigations, seven; mutual aid, one; and other, one.