Police Blotter
Teen's hands are burned as fire destroys residence
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A fire destroyed an Evans home late Monday, causing burns to the hands of an occupant.
The fire at 5008 Sussex Drive, in Stratford subdivision, was reported at 11:30 p.m. The house is owned by Larry Stroud, said Honey Shore, a spokeswoman for Martinez-Columbia Fire Rescue. Five people, including Stroud, were inside and escaped.
A teenage son's hands were burned in the fire; he was treated at Doctors Hospital and released, Shore said.
She said the fire was brought under control within 10 minutes. An investigation did not determine its cause.
A Stroud Family Donation Fund has been set up at all branches of Wachovia for donations for the family.
Convenience store cited in undercover alcohol sting
An Evans convenience store was cited Nov. 17 for selling alcohol to an undercover and underage Columbia County sheriff's operative.
The Circle K on Washington Road near Woodbridge subdivision was the only one of six randomly selected convenience or package stores in Martinez/Evans to sell alcohol to a minor in the operation, according to a sheriff's office news release.
The operative showed his true identification after a clerk's request. The news release stated that such operations have been resulting in fewer citations for alcohol sales to minors because more store clerks are checking IDs than in years past.
The following accounts were taken from reports filed with the Columbia County Sheriff's Office.
Evans, Augusta teenagers face burglary charge
Two teens were arrested Nov. 17 after an Evans man noticed his home had been broken into and saw someone trying to climb a fence in his backyard.
Orin Royce Lott, 17, of the 100 block of Highview Drive in Augusta, and Octavious Lamar Burns, also 17, of the 4500 block of Hillside Drive in Evans, face one count each of burglary. Lott was released from the Columbia County Detention Center on Monday on $10,100 bond; Burns remained in jail Friday morning on $10,100 bond.
The 33-year-old homeowner, who also lives on Hillside Drive, returned home at about 7:15 p.m., discovered that a window in his laundry room was open and heard noises from the back of his house.
Deputies arrived and found the two teens nearby.
Woman says she saw car break-in at Martinez salon
A woman told deputies Nov. 18 that she saw a man break into a vehicle at a Martinez salon and try to run down a man.
The woman was at Suzelle's Salon on South Belair Road at about 3:20 p.m. when she saw the man break into a BMW and steal a purse. The man tried to get away but the owner of the car, a Fayetteville, N.C. man, tried to stop him.
The woman said the driver of the thief's vehicle sped past the North Carolina man, grazing him on the right leg, and left. A second woman, 22, of Warrenton, Ga., told deputies her car also was broken into and a DVD player was stolen.
Gunman tries to rob man outside Mexican restaurant
An Appling man told deputies Nov. 17 that someone tried to rob him outside a Martinez Mexican restaurant.
The 66-year-old, of the 4000 block of Vern Sikking Road, told deputies he was leaving Las Lomas Mexican Restaurant on South Belair Road at about 9:20 p.m. when a man pulled a gun on him. The victim said he dived to the ground, then fled to the restaurant and called police.
Deputies could not find the robber.
Fake prescription phoned into Martinez drug store
A pharmacist at a Martinez drugstore told deputies Nov. 19 that some called in a fraudulent prescription for Vicodin.
The pharmacist at Walgreen, Belair and Columbia roads, said she received a call from a doctor who provided his correct Drug Enforcement Administration identification number but an incorrect telephone number, which made her suspicious. When the pharmacist called the office number for the physician, the doctor said he had not called in any prescriptions for Vicodin.
Woman reports keyed car after parking-lot run-in
A Martinez woman told deputies Nov. 18 that someone keyed her sport utility vehicle outside an Evans clothing store.
The 33-year-old, of the 4000 block of Heathcliff Drive, said she had had an argument with a woman about a parking spot outside the Kohl's on Washington Road at about 8 p.m. When she left the store at about 8:30 p.m., the paint had been scratched on her Toyota Sequoia in several spots.