Police blotter
Gunshot victim refuses to prosecute assailant
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An Augusta man discovered Tuesday at a Martinez shopping center with gunshot wounds to his legs refused to cooperate with police or prosecute his assailant, police said.
Alvin Myers, 22, of Ramblewood Drive, limped into the Great Wall, an Asian restaurant in Petersburg Shoppes on Furys Ferry Road, with at least two gunshot wounds to his legs, said Columbia County sheriff's Capt. Steve Morris.
Police believe Myers was shot in Augusta and dropped off at the shopping center.
Morris said that Myers' injuries did not appear life-threatening and that he was taken to Medical of College of Georgia Hospital, where he refused to cooperate with police.
Myers possibly was a victim of robbers, and the shooting is under investigation by authorities in Richmond and Columbia counties, Morris said.
Lightning starts fire at Martinez home
A lighting strike caused a fire Tuesday at a Martinez home during a thunderstorm, but no one was injured.
Martinez-Columbia Fire Rescue responded to 4563 Oakley Pirkle Road about 10:30 a.m. after a passer-by saw smoke and called 911. Homeowner Odessa Bradley was not there, but her grandson, who was asleep upstairs, said he awoke to the smell of smoke.
The lightning appeared to have struck a tree in the backyard and traveled through a chain-link fence until it hit underground lines, Assistant Chief James Champion said.
The lightning then followed the underground lines around the two-story home, blowing up an electrical box, and traveled through the wires inside to the breaker box, Champion said.
A resulting fire that started in a laundry room was quickly extinguished.
The following accounts were taken from reports provided by the Columbia County Sheriff's Office. Additional reports are available at www.columbiacountyso.org:
Burglars get away after brief capture in home
An Evans man called police early Thursday after he discovered and nearly captured two men inside his home.
The man said he got up about 1:45 a.m. after he heard a noise in his laundry room. He found two young men and grabbed them by the back of their necks to detain them.
After a brief struggle, the intruders broke free and ran away. The resident said he heard no vehicle.
After the burglars fled, the resident noticed that his Browning 12-gauge shotgun missing from the laundry room.
Man charged with taking utility company's wire
A man was arrested Monday after a Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent saw him take a roll of wire.
The agent told police he was driving on West Milledgeville Road in Harlem about 8:45 a.m. when he saw the man cross the railroad tracks with a roll of wire and put it into his vehicle.
The agent stopped him at the Jet Food Store, where a Columbia County sheriff's deputy was refueling.
The suspect, identified as Robert Eugene Laster, 31, of Randel Road in Dearing, told police he saw the wire and didn't think it belonged to anyone, so he took it.
The wire belonged to Georgia Power Co.; a representative said the company will prosecute.
Police arrested Laster and took him to the Columbia County Detention Center, where he was charged with theft of lost or mislaid property. He was released Monday after posting a bond of $1,100, according to jail records.
Woman says someone stole her financial data
A Martinez woman called police Wednesday after realizing someone had used her personal information to open at least two credit-card accounts.
The 50-year-old woman said that about 1:45 p.m. Wednesday she received a Lowe's credit card and a $7,400 bill in the mail. She said someone had used her personal information to open the account in Atlanta.
After checking her credit information, she discovered someone used the information to open an account at Linens 'n Things, which had a $500 balance, and tried to open a Sam's Club account, but was denied.