Police blotter
Four plead innocent to bank robbery spree
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Four men pleaded not guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court to charges they took part in a two-state bank robbery spree.
The four were indicted earlier this month on charges they are responsible for armed holdups of the CSRA Federal Credit Union on North Belair Road in Evans; a Wachovia branch on Washington Road at Davis Road in Martinez; and banks in Augusta and in South Carolina this spring.
The four remain in state custody in South Carolina. The suspects are: Vincent Savageau, 26; Demetrius T. Freeman, 24; Isaac Doby, 52; and Adrian Branham, 33, the alleged ringleader.
U.S. District Judge W. Leon Barfield said he would hold detention hearings for the men if they are released on state charges.
The following accounts were taken from reports filed with the Columbia County Sheriff's Office:
Man charged with giving false name
An Augusta man was charged early Tuesday with giving a false name to a Columbia County law enforcement officer and was cited for having an open container of alcohol in a vehicle.
Joseph Patrick Young, 31, of the 1900 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, was being held at the Columbia County Detention Center on Wednesday afternoon because of outstanding warrants in other jurisdictions, according to jail records.
Young was riding in a Chevrolet Trailblazer that Columbia County sheriff's deputies pulled over just after midnight because of a traffic violation, according to a police incident report.
When questioned by deputies, Young told officers his identity was that of another Richmond County man, who also had outstanding warrants against him, according to the incident report.
Young later gave deputies his correct identity.
Evans man reports attack by group of men
An Evans man told deputies late Tuesday that he was assaulted by several men who stole his cellular phone and car outside his apartment.
The 20-year-old told deputies he was listening to music inside his car parked outside his apartment in the Westwood Club apartment complex off Washington Road when two men approached him, according to a police incident report.
One of the men questioned the Evans man about his music and then punched him above his left eye, according to the incident report.
Two more men got into the Evans man's Pontiac Bonneville as the man fled the scene on foot, according to the incident report.
When the Evans man ran around the corner of an apartment building, he said he was assaulted by six or seven men who stole his phone.
When deputies arrived, the Evans man told them his car was also stolen. The vehicle was later found at another location in the complex, according to the incident report.
Equipment reported stolen from Evans Middle School site
The theft of $18,000 in equipment from the new Evans Middle School site was reported to Columbia County sheriff's deputies Tuesday.
Two workers involved in the construction at 4785 Hereford Farm Road in Evans told authorities someone stole five range hoods, a drill hammer, a panel cutter and various other equipment between June 13 and Tuesday, according to a police incident report.
Martinez mortgage company owner reports fraud
The owner of a Martinez mortgage company told deputies Tuesday that a former employee had defrauded her of nearly $22,000 during several months.
The owner of America's Choice Mortgage in the 400 block of Furys Ferry Road told deputies she discovered the fraud when she performed an audit on the employee's records.
The employee would report on her payment ledger the signing of a loan for an amount greater than the customer actually agreed to, inflating her commission, according to the incident report.