Police Blotter

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

Home invasion arrest

Columbia County authorities have arrested four men following a home invasion Saturday in Appling.

Columbia County sheriff's deputies arrested Tommy Lee Reynolds, 26, of the 3000 block of Woodbrier Road in Augusta; Llemii Zacharriah Carter, 18, of the 100 block of East Chapman Street in Augusta; Michael Lorenzo Ward, 30, of the 500 block of DuPont Street in Augusta; and Tavares Latrone Freeman, 29, of the 2300 block of U.S. Highway 1 North in Matthews, Ga., according to jail records.

All four were charged with armed robbery, aggravated assault, battery, cruelty to children in the third degree and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, the records indicated.

Police say that just after 10 p.m., the men drove into the yard of a home on the 3100 block of McCladdie Drive in Appling. Ward and Freeman walked in on the resident, his live-in girlfriend and their 2-year-old son, the report stated. The two men,armed with a handgun, demanded money. The resident gave up his wallet, containing $500, but the men demanded more. A struggle ensued, and the resident was able to escape into the yard. The resident's girlfriend said she saw the car leave during the struggle, according to the report.

A witness followed the suspects' vehicle until police stopped it on Pollards Pond Road and arrested Carter and Reynolds. Ward and Freeman were located at the TPS gas station on the corner of Washington and William Few Parkway, where the two men led police on a brief chase on foot into nearby woods, the report stated.

The suspects were being held in the Columbia County Detention Center Tuesday without bond, Capt. Steve Morris said.

Teacher charged

A Columbia County school teacher was arrested Friday after she received a refund from a Martinez Wal-Mart for items she never purchased, police said.

Wendy Michelle Brown, 32, of the 4600 block of Perry Mill Road in Grovetown, was arrested Friday and charged with misdemeanor theft by shoplifting, according to jail records. Brown is a third-grade teacher at River Ridge Elementary School.

Michelle Lea Newman, the a loss-prevention officer for the store at 260 Bobby Jones Expressway, told police she saw Brown enter the store at about 10:40 a.m. with a bag of clothes, for which she got pink return stickers marking items brought into the store, according to a sheriff's office incident report. Newman said instead of going to the service desk, Brown began shopping and put the stickers on two packs of Kool-Aid drinks and a package of razors. Brown then returned the items to the service desk and received a $6.70 refund for the items, the report stated.

Brown was taken to the Columbia County Detention Center and was released Thursday afternoon after posting a $1,100 bond, according to jail personnel.

Property damaged

An Evans man told police that his neighbor broke into his home early Thursday morning and damaged a chair and carpet before passing out in his sons's room.

Bryan William Small, 31, of the 4100 block of Litchfield Lane in Evans said that just after 5 a.m., his 19-year-old neighbor, Anthony Glenn Enriquez, 19, broke into his home through a window, urinated on an armchair and made his way to Small's son's bedroom, according to a sheriff's office incident report. Small said Enriquez then vomited on the carpet before passing out in the bedroom, where police found him, the report stated.

Enriquez told police he had been drinking and thought he was at his own home. Small estimated $975 damage to the carpet, chair, window and screens, the report stated.

Enriquez was taken to the Columbia County Detention Center, where he was charged with criminal damage to property in the second degree and minor in possession of alcohol. Enriquez was released Thursday morning after posting a combined $2,875 bond, according to jail records.

Martinez Fire Department Activity Report for the week of July 17-23:

Structure fires, two; grass fires, two; controlled burn, one; fire alarms, 10; natural gas leak, one; hazardous materials, two; medical calls, 17; rescue calls, 10; investigations, five; public service, two; and other, three.