Police blotter
Augusta man wanted on outstanding warrants
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Authorities are searching for an Augusta man who they say has numerous outstanding warrants and gave false information to police.
Cornelius Cordale White, 29, of Travis Road, is wanted in Columbia County for failing to appear in court for a February 2006 incident in which he is accused of taking payment for concrete construction services he never provided, said Columbia County sheriff's Investigator Shawn Merzlak. White also has outstanding warrants in Richmond County, Merzlak said.
Several residents have also sworn out warrants for White in Columbia County Magistrate Court for his connection in similar incidents, Merzlak said.
White goes by the nickname "Neal" and has been seen around Gilbert Manor, the investigator said.
White is described as black, with short hair, about 6 feet 1 and 145 pounds. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to call Merzlak at (706) 541-2800.
The following accounts were taken from reports filed with the Columbia County Sheriff's Office:
Gas line found damaged at Martinez home after threat
Columbia County sheriff's deputies and firefighters discovered Monday a tampered-with gas line to a water heater at a Martinez home after reports that a resident there had been threatened.
A 51-year-old woman from Stoneybrooks Place in Martinez told deputies of a threat from a man who said he had filled a home on Roswell Drive with gas and planned to blow it up.
The woman went to the 30-year-old victim's home on Roswell Drive and noticed an open storage room door and the smell of natural gas.
Deputies and firefighters with Martinez-Columbia Fire Rescue also noticed the smell.
A check of the home revealed that a gas line had been damaged, causing the leak.
No arrests had been made as of Friday.
Evans man finds rabbit decapitated in its cage
An Evans man told deputies on Monday he found one of his pet rabbits mutilated in its cage.
The 41-year-old from the 900 block of Burlington Drive told deputies he checked on his three rabbits at about 10 a.m. and discovered the smallest had been decapitated.
The other two rabbits were unharmed.
The man said the rabbits were kept in a locked cage and were fine when he last checked on them around noon April 15. No suspects were mentioned in the report.
Officer is bitten in chase after stopping men in car
Two men who led police on a brief car and foot chase escaped arrest early Tuesday after one of the men assaulted two deputies.
At about 1 a.m., deputies began a pursuit of the men in a white Pontiac Grand Am near Washington and Baston roads.
The pursuit carried into Richmond County, where the men fled on foot along Kings Chapel Road.
Deputies tackled the driver of the car, who resisted, biting one deputy and striking the other in the face before getting away.
A cause for the pursuit was not listed, but deputies reported it was not immediately clear whether the vehicle was stolen.
No descriptions of the men were given.