Police Blotter
One dead, four hospitalized after motorcycle wreck
Four people remained in the hospital this week after a wreck near the Columbia-McDuffie county line Saturday killed an Augusta man.
Eleven vehicles - a Buick LeSabre and 10 motorcycles - were involved in the wreck on County Line Road and killed Leroy Malick, 52, of Augusta, according to a Georgia State Patrol representative.
The motorcyclists were part of a group of at least 40 riding together as part of a Relay for Life cancer benefit that started at Harlem United Methodist Church.
Malick was pronounced dead at the scene and nine others, including his wife, were treated at three area hospitals.
Taken to Medical College of Georgia Hospital were Kathy Malick, 48, of Augusta, listed in serious condition Tuesday morning; Carl Albritton, 54, of Bartow, Ga., in serious condition; and Elisia Hodges, 40, of Martinez, in good condition. Tracy Bates, 36, residence unknown, Johnny Beard, 41, of Augusta, and Jimmy Barnes, 57, of Hephzibah, were treated at MCG and released.
Motorcyclist Donald "Lucky" Birkinshaw, 71, of Harlem, was taken to University Hospital, where he was in good condition Tuesday morning, a hospital spokeswoman said.
Officials are still uncertain about the cause of the accident. but witnesses say Meredith Young, 26, the driver of the Buick, hit one of the oncoming motorcycles, veered away, then struck nine more motorcycles.
Young and her 11-month-old daughter, Laura, were treated at McDuffie Regional Medial Center and released, a spokeswoman said Sunday.
Two dead after Martinez crash
Two men died Saturday morning after their car crashed into a tree in the parking lot of Augusta Sportswear in Martinez.
Matthew Hodges, 25, of Louisville Road, in Grovetown, and Bobby Phillips, 25, of Mike Padgett Highway in Augusta, were pronounced dead Sunday by the Columbia County Coroner's Office.
Hodges lost control of his Acura in a curve on Park West Drive at about 8 a.m. Saturday.
The car hit a tree in the Augusta Sportswear parking lot and went airborne; its rear end hit a second tree while in the air.
Neither Hodges nor Phillips was wearing a seat belt. Both were ejected from the car, a state patrol spokesman said.
Gunman threatens Martinez man
A Martinez resident accused a Snellville, Ga., man of threatening him by putting a gun to his head Saturday.
The 40-year-old resident called deputies Saturday morning after arguing with the other man on the phone. He told deputies the man said he was on his way to pick up his son and kill him.
When the man arrived, he and the resident argued in the front yard. The Snellville man pulled a handgun and put it to the resident's head.
The Martinez man said other people persuaded the gunman not to shoot.
The gunman and one of the people who asked him not to shoot then got into a truck and left.
Couple fight at local restaurant
Several people were struck in a melee at Rhinehart's Oyster Bar in Evans on Saturday.
The manager of the restaurant, at 305 N. Belair Road, said the fight escalated after an argument between two male patrons.
One of the men hit the other. When the victim's wife tried to step in, the aggressor and his wife also hit her .
A man seated nearby was knocked into an arcade game by the aggressor, the manager told deputies.
The manager said that she tried to break up the fight but that she, too, was attacked by the fighting couple.
Soon afterward, everyone involved, except the manager and the man knocked to the ground, left the restaurant.
The manager said the couple starting the brawl left without paying for their three mixed drinks and food.
The manager and bystander knocked into the arcade game said they were unsure whether they wanted to prosecute.
Vehicle vandalizes volleyball court
Police were called to Ridge Crossing Apartments early Sunday morning after a resident said a black Ford Mustang was doing doughnuts on the volleyball court.
A renter at the Martinez complex gave police a description of the vehicle and the license number.
Deputies traced the vehicle to a house on Point Comfort Road in Martinez. They called the home, and a man said his daughter had the car.
He told deputies that his daughter was spending the night with a friend but that he didn't know where.
After making contact with his daughter, the man told deputies she had loaned the car to someone else.
A deputy noted the damage to the volleyball court but was unable to immediately contact apartment personnel.
Woman says neighbor took her cat
After telling police her cat was missing Friday, an Evans woman discovered it in the house next door.
Calling from an apartment on Lake Jean Drive, the woman told police she had not seen her cat since 7:30 p.m. the day before when she allowed the it outside.
After deputies arrived, she pointed to a window at an apartment next to her home. A cat matching the description was visible through the apartment window.
The woman told deputies that her neighbor had threatened to kill her cats in the past. The neighbor was not home, and deputies told the woman to call when she returned.
Martinez-Columbia Fire Rescue Activity Report, March 26-April 1:
Structure fires, two; woods fires, two; grass fires, two; vehicle fires, two; controlled burns, six; fire alarms, six; natural gas leak, one; medical calls, 14; rescue calls, 13; investigations, four; and public service, three.