Police Blotter
The following accounts were taken from reports from the Columbia County Sheriff's Office. Additional reports are available at www.columbiacountyso.org:
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Home vandalized during vacation
An Evans woman called police Sunday after returning from vacation to find her home ransacked.
The 48-year-old said she saw the damage after returning from a week-long vacation at about 5:30 p.m. Sunday.
She said all her food was eaten and dirty dishes and pots were put into the cupboard. Her toilets were filled with feces, and clothes belonging to her and her son were strewn around the bedrooms.
Food was smeared on the furniture and poured onto her dining room table and floor, she said.
Her neighbor told police he noticed a Pontiac Firebird parked in the driveway right after the woman left, but thought she had invited someone to stay while she was away.
The woman reported $700 in clothing and $200 in food missing or destroyed.
Man flees store after eating chicken
A Martinez man was arrested Friday, accused of eating chicken inside Wal-Mart and running away without paying.
Johnnie Albert Pratt Jr., 21, of the 300 block of Applecross Drive, was charged with misdemeanor theft of service and was being held Monday at the Columbia County Detention Center on a $1,100 bond, according to jail records.
A loss prevention employee at the Martinez store called police between 2:15 and 2:30 p.m. Friday, saying he saw Pratt order a piece of chicken from the deli of the store at 260 Bobby Jones Expressway.
When the worker approached Pratt, he ran out of the store, pushing down a small girl, and fled into nearby woods where police arrested him after a brief search, the report said.
SUV damaged by gunshots
A Grovetown man called police Sunday after discovering someone shot his sport utility vehicle.
The 58-year-old said someone shot the Dodge Durango between 11:30 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. Sunday, causing more than $1,000 in damage.
The driver's window and windshield were broken, and the steering wheel was damaged.
The SUV was in the man's yard.
Missing credit card used to buy gasoline
A Martinez man told police Thursday that someone used a credit card from his missing wallet to buy gas.
The 51-year-old said he believes he dropped his wallet outside of his home Wednesday while working on a vehicle.
Someone used a credit card from the wallet to buy gas in Richmond County between 8:30 p.m. Wednesday and 7 a.m. Thursday, the man said.
Martinez-Columbia Fire Rescue Activity Report for the week of June 29-July 5:
Structure fire, one; wood/brush/grass fires, nine; vehicle fire, one; controlled/unauthorized burns, two; other fire, one; activated fire alarms, three; gas line ruptures, two; medical incidents, 18; vehicle accidents, nine; electrical incident, one; investigate various incidents, five; assist citizens, four; and mutual aid/public safety assistance, one.