Police Blotter

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

Former manager pleads guilty

The former manager of Linda Schrenko's failed 2002 bid for governor became the second person to plead guilty in connection with a federal indictment against the former state school superintendent.

Richard Leonard, 43, of Augusta, pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of criminal information, according to the office of David Nahmias, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia. Leonard managed Schrenko's bid for the Republican nomination for governor, which prosecutors say was funded in part by money bilked from the state Department of Education.

Schrenko, Merle Temple, the former deputy superintendent, and A. Stephan Botes, an Atlanta businessman, have pleaded not guilty to the government's contention that they looted the department of more than $600,000 in federal education grants for personal and political purposes.

According to Nahmias' office, Leonard admitted that he tried to get an unnamed witness in the case to lie to federal investigators about money that was supposed to pay for "focus groups" but was eventually funneled to Schrenko's campaign.

Leonard urged the witness to tell the investigators that the $590 checks he cashed were payments for participating in a focus group.

Theft by taking

A Martinez church administrator told police Monday someone stole several Christ mas presents from the church's parish hall.

The woman, who works at the Church of Our Savior, which is in the 4000 block of Columbia Road, said someone entered the parish hall without force and stole several Christmas packages, which contained toys and clothes.

The incident reportedly occurred sometime between 9 p.m. Dec. 15 and 6 a.m. Dec. 16.

Criminal trespass

Two doors belonging to an Evans business were reportedly damaged Dec. 19 after someone filled the locks with cement.

A worker found the door locks damaged at Murphy USA, which is in the 4000 block of Washington Road.

A lock-and-safe company responded to the incident and was able to unlock the doors, the police report states.

Financial transaction fraud

A Martinez woman said someone stole $300 from her bank account after she used an automated teller machine Dec. 18.

The woman said someone stole money out of her account using her account information, which she said she forgot to clear after she finished with her transaction.