Police Bookings

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

Man charged with simple assault

A Martinez man was arrested early Saturday after he pointed a gun at a motorist while driving on Washington Road, police said.

Jeffrey Lynn Buckner, 45, of the 200 block of Hightower Drive, was charged with simple assault, according to jail records. He was released Saturday morning after posting a bond of $1,100.

A motorist on Washington Road at Faircloth Drive in Evans told police that just before 9 p.m. Friday a man, later identified as Buckner, pulled up next to his vehicle in a white Mercury Sable and tapped a gun against his window, pointing it at the other driver and his two passengers. The driver said the gunman was smiling and nodding his head as he tapped the small, silver-colored revolver on the glass, the report stated.

When the Sable drove away, the driver got its tag number and reported it to police. The Sable was registered to Buckner. A short time later, police found him at his home, where the car was parked in the driveway and Buckner smelled of alcohol

When the deputy asked Buckner about the complaint, Buckner cursed the deputy. Buckner admitted to owning a small silver revolver and to driving the car when and where the incident occurred, but he denied pointing the gun at anyone.

Police say Buckner became angry and told the deputy that the next time someone throws trash out of a car window and cuts him off in traffic, he would handle the situation.

Woman reports damage to daughter's car

An Evans woman told police Thursday that someone badly damaged her daughter's car overnight.

The woman said her 18-year-old daughter's car was parked in their driveway with other cars, but it was the only one damaged.

She told police someone keyed all sides of the car and scratched profane language into the quarter panels. She said trash from a trash can on the property was thrown inside the car and a condom containing an unknown substance was tied to the gearshift lever, the report stated. Damage to the car is estimated to be $2,000.

Arson reported at playground

A park ranger at a J. Strom Thurmond Dam and Lake park told police Thursday that someone set fire to a playground.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers park ranger at West Dam Recreation Area, at the base of the dam on the Georgia side, told police she discovered that between that evening and Friday afternoon, someone had set fire to a portion of a playground including railroad ties, ground covering and steps, according to a sheriff's office incident report.

The damage was estimated to be $3,500, the report stated.

Martinez Fire Department Activity Report for the week of Sept. 4-10:

Structure fire, one; vehicle fires, three; grass fires, two; controlled burn, one; fire alarms, eight; natural gas leak, one; medical calls, 12; rescue calls, 10; investigations, three; and other, one.