Police bookings
The following accounts were taken from reports filed with the Columbia County Sheriff's Office.
Former bail bondsman arrested
A former bail bondsman in McDuffie and Columbia counties was arrested Friday by federal agents and local police after being accused of soliciting someone to harm an Augusta attorney and an Appling resident.
The arrest warrant also alleges he solicited someone to rape the Appling man's wife.
Danny Lee Savage Sr., of the 6200 block of Keg Creek Drive, Appling, was charged with one count of criminal attempted rape, one count of solicitation of rape, two counts of criminal attempted aggravated battery and two counts of solicitation of aggravated battery, said Columbia County sheriff's Capt. Steve Morris.
Savage was taken to the Columbia County Detention Center with no bond set.
According to the arrest warrant, Savage is accused of attempting to pay someone "to maliciously cause bodily harm ... by serious disfigurement'' to Richard Ingram, an attorney who unsuccessfully ran in 2004 for Columbia County magistrate judge, and Billy L. Morris, who lives on the same street as Savage.
The warrant also accuses Savage of attempting to pay someone to rape Morris' wife, Ethel D. Morris. The crimes solicited were not acted on, and police do not believe they will be, Morris said.
Cruelty to children reported
Two employees of a Martinez hair salon told police Saturday afternoon they saw someone striking a small child in the salon's parking lot.
The stylists at the Hair Connection at 4397 Wheeler Road said they saw a white Chrysler LeBaron pull into the parking lot just before 5 p.m.
One stylist said the driver of the LeBaron, described as a large man, turned around in his seat and struck a small child in the face with an open hand, according to an incident report.
Both stylists told police they saw the driver cussing and slapping the young boy repeatedly before leaving the lot.
The stylists got the car's tag number, which was used to locate the owner, who lives in Grovetown. Sheriff's deputies contacted the Grovetown Department of Public Safety, but the department was unsuccessful in contacting the car's registered owner, the report states.
Star Wars character stolen
The manager of a Martinez fast food restaurant told police May 11 that five young men had stolen a cardboard cut-out of Darth Vader from the restaurant.
The manager of the Burger King on South Old Belair Road said the men entered his store to eat at about 8:45 p.m. and when they left, he said, the group stole the life-size cardboard figure of Darth Vader, an incident report states.
One of the men was identified by a third party at the scene.
When police contacted the young man, he identified the other four men, the report states.
All five men involved were not charged because the cut-out was returned to the restaurant, the report stated.
Lake home break-in
An Augusta woman told police someone broke into her Appling home Thursday and slept in her bed.
The woman told police someone had broken through the front door of the home at the 3900 block of Keg Creek Drive in Appling between May 3-12, according to an incident report.
The woman said nothing appeared to be stolen.
Financial card theft
A sheriff's office deputy reported Sunday that his debit card was stolen and that someone had spent nearly $100 using it without his permission.
The deputy said someone stole the card after he last used it at a Martinez Circle K store on South Belair Road on May 9.
The next time he went to use the card, on May 12, he realized it was missing, according to an incident report.
Through his bank, the deputy discovered the card had been used four times at different stores in Columbia and Richmond counties, the report stated.
The bank immediately closed the account.
Martinez-Columbia Fire and Rescue Activity Report for the week of May 8-14:
Structure fires, two; grass fires, two; vehicle fires, two; controlled burn, one; fire alarms, five; medical calls, 29; rescue calls, 11; investigations, six; public service, three; and other, one.