Police Blotter
The following accounts were taken from reports filed with the Columbia County Sheriff's Office:
Evans earthquake
Minor seismic activity was confirmed early Tuesday morning in the Evans area after a flurry of callers during the night reported loud noises to Columbia County's 911 emergency center.
Columbia County Emer- gency Services Director Pam Tucker said in an e-mail message that "The 9-1-1 Center received numerous callers during the night (between the hours of 12 a.m. and 5:30 a.m.) and more calls have come into our office (Tuesday) morning regarding loud booms heard during the night."
Tucker added that she heard "what sounded like thunder" from her own Evans home early Tuesday morning.
No measurement of the level of the earthquake activity was available early Tuesday, and Tucker said no damage was reported.
Missing child found
A 3-year-old Martinez boy who was reported missing Friday afternoon was found an hour later in a stranger's house eating yogurt and feeding pudding to a dog, authorities said.
The incident occurred at about 4 p.m. Friday when Rubyann Durante walked outside with her grandson, Colin, at his Springlakes subdivision home on Green Ivy Lane to get the mail. Durante said Colin quickly walked around the side of the house and disappeared. An hour later and a half mile away, 17-year-old Springlakes resident Sam Giovino returned to his home and found Colin inside his home and reported the finding to police.
Colin was returned to his mother, Kristin Durante, unharmed.
Samaritan hurt
An Auburn, Ala., man told police Thursday that he was assaulted after he stopped to help a stranded motorist.
Andrew Lee Neal, 31, said he was traveling behind a Geo Tracker on Appling-Harlem Highway at about 6:30 p.m. Jan. 12, when the Tracker slowed drastically and began to smoke, a sheriff's office report stated. When the Tracker's driver pulled onto Nature's Way and stopped, Neal stopped to offer assistance.
Neal said the driver got out yelling, then produced a box cutter and cut Neal, the report stated. While Neal ran back to his vehicle, the man continued cutting him and kicked him in the groin and knee.
Neal got back in his vehicle and drove to the sheriff's office's Special Operations office in Appling. The responding deputy noted several 1-inch lacerations to Neal's right cheek, left chest and left forearm and his left knee was swollen. Neal was treated at Doctors Hospital and released. Police were unable to locate the other driver.
Driver arrested
A Sparta, Ga., man was arrested Thursday on obstruction charges after he ran from police.
At about 4:30 p.m., sheriff's Deputy David Herrity saw a Ford truck make a left turn from Bobby Jones Expressway onto Marsella Avenue in violation of a traffic sign. Herrity turned on his blue lights and pulled over Ricky Tarver, 44.
Tarver abruptly got out of his vehicle and walked toward Herrity, who told him repeatedly to return to his vehicle. When Herrity asked for Tarver's license, Tarver admitted it was suspended because of a child support obligation, the report stated. While running a license check, Herrity noticed Tarver was acting very nervous, and he called for backup. Just before Deputies Nathan Jones and Mark Benson arrived, Tarver ran. He jumped a wooden fence, causing $100 damage to it, and had to be subdued with pepper spray after a foot pursuit by deputies.
Tarver was treated at the scene before being taken to the Columbia County Detention Center, where he was being held Tuesday morning on charges of obstruction or hindering a law enforcement officer, criminal trespass, driving with a suspended license, no proof of insurance, disobedience of a traffic control device, driving on the wrong side of the road, open container and violating his probation.