Police blotter

Lincolnton man charged in 15-year-old murder case

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Columbia County authorities arrested a 34-year-old Lincolnton, Ga., man Tuesday in connection with a 15-year-old murder case.

Douglas Wayne Toney is charged with murder, malice murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a crime in the death of Faxton Lamar Powell Jr., who was found shot near Pumpkin Center on Sept. 27, 1992. He was 29.

Toney was arrested in Lincoln County after being followed by police from northern Columbia County. No bond has been set in the case, said Columbia County sheriff's Capt. Steve Morris.

The arrest came about two years after a review of the case by Sgt. Frank Dodson and a subsequent television show about it that helped develop new sources and leads.

The case was then assigned to Senior Investigator Wynn Howard, who was integral in solving the cold case, Morris said.

Morris said he couldn't provide details on a motive or reveal exactly how investigators connected Toney to the case, citing the ongoing investigation.

Authorities said they believe that the victim and his killer knew each other.

Powell was found lying beside Wrightsboro Road with a .45-caliber gunshot wound in his abdomen. No weapon was found.

The following accounts were taken from reports filed with the Columbia County Sheriff's Office:

Man faces drug, theft charges

A Martinez man faces drug and theft charges after deputies stopped him at an Evans thrift store early Monday and found him in possession of a stolen vehicle.

Scott Randall Harris, 44, of the 3800 block of Murray Road, is charged with possession of cocaine and theft by receiving stolen property, according to jail records. He was released from the Columbia County Detention Center on Monday on $7,600 bond.

A deputy patrolling Washington Road saw a Chevrolet Tahoe in the parking lot of Goodwill Emporium at about 3:15 a.m. A check of the vehicle's license plate revealed it had been reported stolen by an Evans man.

When deputies questioned Harris, he said that he was in the process of buying the vehicle and that the tag was on the vehicle when he borrowed it. Sheriff's Capt. Steve Morris said an unspecified amount of cocaine was found at the time of Harris' arrest.

Harlem woman burglarized

A Harlem woman visiting a friend got a surprise Tuesday when the friend reportedly offered to give her items that already belonged to her.

The 48-year-old resident of Carlene Drive was visiting a friend on Jamie Drive in Grovetown when the friend said she had items she wanted to give the visitor. The visitor said she recognized the items as her property and asked her friend where she had obtained them.

The resident said an unidentified couple gave her the items earlier in the day. The property had been stored in a camper parked at a Spring Creek Road address in Grovetown, where the Harlem woman was planning to move

The Harlem woman told deputies she noticed the camper door had been forced open.

Women say man punched SUV

Two women traveling on Evans to Locks Road told deputies Tuesday an acquaintance damaged their vehicle when they stopped to talk.

The women, a 23-year-old Greensboro, Ga. resident and a 22-year-old from Augusta, said that as they were driving in their 2007 Nissan Pathfinder they noticed the acquaintance following them.

When the women pulled their vehicle over near the entrance to Jones Creek subdivision, the 33-year-old acquaintance from Augusta approached and asked the Greensboro woman to roll down her window.

When the woman refused, the man punched the windshield, causing several cracks. He then got back into his truck and drove off.