Police Blotter
Donations sought to help family whose home burned
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Martinez-Columbia Fire Rescue is accepting donations for a family of four whose home was destroyed by fire Sunday.
The fire department was called just after 6 p.m. Sunday to a home at 1246 Miles Road near Harlem, where Teresa Brown and Antonio Robinson Sr. lived with two children - Shaiquan Lowe, 10, and Antonio Robinson Jr., 5 - said Honey Shore, the fire department spokeswoman.
The family was not home at the time of the fire. The house is owned by Brown's mother, Lillie Brown. The family did not have renters insurance, and the home was not insured, Shore said.
Both boys attend North Harlem Elementary School - Shaiquan is a fourth-grader and Antonio is a kindergartner. North Harlem Principal Kirk Wright said the school is accepting donations of clothing, toys, school supplies and other necessities for the family.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, Shore said.
The Red Cross has provided the family a temporary hotel room, Shore said, but the family desperately needs a place to stay. Donations of clothing and small household items can be dropped off at any Martinez-Columbia fire station, Shore said.
To donate larger household items, including furniture, call the fire department at (706) 863-7745.
Appling teen charged with entering vehicle on lot
An Appling teen was arrested Thursday after a car dealership employee said he found the youth trying to steal a radio from a vehicle at the Martinez car lot.
Rafeal Perez Andrews, 19, of the 3200 block of Rosemont Road, surrendered at the Columbia County Detention Center on Thursday and was charged with entering a vehicle to commit theft, according to jail records. Andrews was released Thursday after posting a $7,600 bond, according to jail records.
An employee at Gerald Jones Honda, 4022 Wash-ington Road, told police that just after 7 p.m. Aug. 16 he found Andrews in a Dodge Ram pickup trying to remove the radio.
The man said Andrews had already removed the radio faceplate, several screws and the molding and was using a screwdriver to pry the radio out, the report stated.
When the employee asked Andrews what he was doing, the teen said his brother had traded in the truck and had given him permission to get the radio, the report stated.
The employee told Andrews that it was not the proper procedure, time or place to get anything from a traded-in vehicle and sent him home after getting the radio faceplate, the report stated.
The employee called the person who traded the truck and was told that he had not given anyone permission to take the radio and did not know Andrews, the report stated.
Martinez woman reports jewelry theft
A Martinez woman called police Thursday after someone stole jewelry from her bedroom while she slept.
The 97-year-old woman told police that between 8 p.m. Aug. 16 and 7 a.m. Thursday, someone broke into her home and stole the jewelry from a bedroom and her bedroom, according to a report.
The sheriff's office crime scene investigator took over the case, the report stated.
Martinez-Columbia Fire and Rescue Activity Report for the week of Aug. 13-19:
Woods fire, one; vehicle fires, six; fire alarms, 12; medical calls, eight; rescue calls, eight; investigations, three; public service, four; public safety assistance, two, and other, two.