Police blotter

Sentencing motions denied

An Appling man sentenced to more than 20 years in prison on two sexual assault charges in April was denied motions to review his sentence and withdraw his guilty plea in a Columbia County court Thursday.

Randolph Frails, attorney for Thryshaun Ronta McCladdie, 20, claimed that McCladdie's first attorney, William Davidson, did not explain the rights he was giving up and the possible consequences of the guilty plea McCladdie entered in April to child molestation and misdemeanor sexual battery for three incidents of sexual assault at Greenbrier High School during the 2002-2003 school year.

McCladdie admitted he understood the possibility of a 20-year sentence when he entered the guilty plea, so Superior Court Judge Albert M. Pickett denied McCladdie's motion to withdraw the plea.

Pickett upheld his original sentence of 21 years on the two counts - the maximum - saying, "it was measured, considered and appropriate."

Child molestation case

Three Columbia County teens will not be prosecuted on child molestation charges as adults, the district attorney has decided.

Joshua D. Grant, 15; Matthew L. Moore, 16; and Roderick M. Witter, 16, were arrested on charges of aggravated child molestation in March, accused of engaging in oral sex with younger teenage girls in late 2003.

Aggravated child molestation is one of the seven crimes in Georgia that mandate trial in Superior Court if the suspect is at least 13 years old.

District Attorney Danny Craig said he filed notice to transfer the case against the three boys and five girls to Columbia County Juvenile Court.

Because the girls were never charged as adults, their names have not been made public.

Bond denied bus driver

A Columbia County judge denied bond Tuesday to a former, volunteer church bus driver facing several child molestation charges.

Superior Court Judge Bernard Mulherin Sr. refused to release Jimmie Lee Mills, 69, of the 1300 block of Old Louisville Road in Grovetown, from custody because the investigation into the four incidents of child molestation is ongoing, Assistant District Attorney Mukti Patel said.

Columbia County and Grovetown authorities arrested Mills last month and charged him with molesting four girls, three in the county and one in Grovetown, ranging in age from 6 to 11 years old.

At lease one incident occurred on a bus belonging to Providence Baptist Church, 3850 Wrightsboro Road in Augusta, that Mills drove as a volunteer.

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

First responder assaulted

An Appling first responder told police he was assaulted by his brother-in-law after helping someone suffering from chest pains early Tuesday morning.

Daniel Brayton Causey, of the 6600 block of Cobbham Road, told police he went to his brother-in-law's house, which was next door to his residence, to help someone claiming to have chest pains.

Causey said he stayed with the person until EMS arrived, sometime after midnight, and then left.

While he was walking home, he said his brother-in-law, who was drunk, approached him from behind yelling and cursing, according to an police report.

Causey said his brother-in-law then hit him in the back of the head with a closed fist.

Two witnesses backed up Causey's story, but he refused to prosecute.

Woman hit with rock

A Martinez woman claimed that a woman she recently fired attacked her with a rock June 6.

Billie Robin Dezutter, of the 4000 block of Old Trail Court, told police she fired an Augusta woman helping her around her home because of her poor attitude.

Later that evening, Dezutter said the ex-employee returned some items she had borrowed and asked Dezutter to step outside to discuss her termination.

The woman then hit Dezutter on the left arm with large rock, knocking her down, according to a police report. She said the woman then kept hitting her on the leg with the same rock.

A deputy noted in the incident report that Dezutter had some moderate swelling and bruising on her left leg and arm.

The deputy called the woman, who said she never assaulted Dezutter. She said she quit her job and Dezutter had threatened her over the phone.

She also said she called the Richmond County Sheriff's Office to complain about Dezutter.

Shoplifter released

An Evans Wal-Mart loss prevention officer allowed a shoplifter to go free Monday.

Willie Frank James Jr., an employee of the Wal-Mart at 4471 Washington Road, told officers he saw a man take a $4 disposable camera from a shelf and return it for cash using a receipt dated June 6.

James said he confronted the man and detained him.

Once deputies arrived, the man admitted to the attempted theft, according to a police report. But James decided not to prosecute. He opted instead to ban the man from all Wal-Mart locations.

Fire department activity report

Martinez Fire Department Activity Report for the week of May 30-June 5:

Structure fires, four; controlled burn, one; natural gas leak, one; fire alarms, 15; medical calls, 17; rescue calls, six; investigations, three; and other, one.