Police Blotter

Man dies in wreck

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A single-vehicle crash early Monday left a 26-year-old Evans man dead.

Sergio Giorgana Lopez, of Meadow Lane, was pronounced dead at 2:22 a.m. Monday by Columbia County Assistant Coroner Harriett Garrison.

Lopez was driving westbound on Owens Road near Marty Drive at an "extremely high rate of speed" when his 1998 Ford F-150 left the road, became airborne and struck a stand of trees and bushes, Garrison said.

Lopez was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected through the passenger-side window, Garrison said.

Lopez died from "massive body trauma," Garrison said, adding that blood was drawn from Lopez for a toxicology test.

Fight erupts on bus

A Columbia County bus driver told police that after two students started arguing at 2:35 p.m. Friday, she asked one of the boys to move to the front of the bus.

She said that as the 14-year-old was moving to the front, a 15-year-old stood up to confront him. Both boys refused to sit down and the argument turned physical. The driver said the boys started throwing punches and tried to jump over the seats to fight.

Other male students helped break up the fight and separate the juveniles.

Both boys had cuts on their lips. One of the juveniles sustained a bite on his thumb. They were released to their parents.

Thefts lead to arrest

An Augusta man was arrested Friday after he was found by police pacing in front of Cracker Barrel on North Belair Road.

Xzavior Lyndell Stevens, 23, was taken to the Columbia County Detention Center and charged with theft by receiving property stolen in another state, theft by taking and entering auto to commit theft, according to jail records.

Police were patrolling the parking lot of Cracker Barrel at 1:48 p.m. because of numerous entering auto cases reported in the area and saw Stevens enter a Jeep Wrangler in the parking lot. Stevens, a cook at Somewhere in Augusta, started to pace in front of the restaurant before he was approached by police.

When Stevens showed his I.D., police noticed many credit cards in his wallet. One of the credit cards had been reported stolen from a vehicle at Club Car on Washington Road.

Stevens had taken $5 and a $50 Rhinehart's Oyster Bar gift certificate, which belonged to the driver of the Jeep. A wallet, which was taken from the Jeep, was found in a trash can near the building.

He remained at Columbia County Detention Center Tuesday. His bond was set at $9,800.

House is vandalized

An Evans woman called police Saturday after someone spray-painted her house and vehicle with red paint.

The 54-year-old said that between 11 p.m. Friday and 9:30 a.m. Saturday, someone spray painted the right side of her house and garage on Hunterdale Road and her 2004 Toyota Camry. The damage to her property totaled $4,000.

Martinez-Columbia Fire Rescue Activity Report for the week Oct. 26-Nov. 1: Structure fires, six; vehicle fires, three; wood/brush/grass fires, four; controlled/unauthorized burns, nine; dumpster fire, one; other fire, one; activated fire alarms, five; activated carbon monoxide detector, one; medical incidents, 17; vehicle accidents, nine; investigate various incidents, two; assist citizens, two; and other, two.