Police blotter
Appling house damaged in fire
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A family renting an Appling house was not home Sunday when it caught fire.
Someone saw smoke coming from the home at 1810 Appling-Harlem Highway just before 3:30 p.m. and called 911. Firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze, which was contained to the den, said Honey Shore, spokeswoman for Martinez-Columbia Fire Rescue.
The house is owned by James Anderson.
Firefighters rescued a dog from the fire. The den was damaged by fire and the structure received smoke damage throughout, Shore said.
The following accounts were taken from reports from the Columbia County Sheriff's Office. Additional reports are available at www.columbiacountyso.org:
Pupil suspended in threat to principal
An Evans Middle School pupil was suspended from school Friday, accused of creating a photograph threatening the principal.
A teacher discovered the pupil showing the computer-altered photograph to classmates. The photo depicted the principal with a massive head injury and partial decapitation.
The word "death" was written on the principal's desk in the picture.
The pupil's parents were called to the school, and the photo was forwarded to police. The pupil was suspended from school pending a school administrative hearing.
Man nearly catches burglar in the act
An Evans man called police Friday after he found someone breaking into his home.
The 24-year-old said he returned home about 11:15 p.m. and heard a loud noise from the back bedroom. When he went to investigate, he found the window pushed in.
In addition, he heard someone running in his backyard.
The resident said he is unsure whether the burglar got inside, and he could not identify anything missing.
Martinez residents report paint balls
Two Martinez neighbors told police that someone shot their vehicles with paint balls.
When a deputy investigated a suspicious person on Forest Court about 6:45 a.m. Saturday, he noticed damaged vehicles at four homes in the neighborhood.
All the vehicles, including some that belonged to two other residents who chose not to file reports, were shot with paint balls.
At least one was also sprayed with Silly String.
Martinez-Columbia Fire Rescue Activity Report for Nov. 30-Dec. 6:
Structure fires, seven; wood/brush/grass fire, one; vehicle fires, three; activated fire alarms, 12; carbon monoxide detector activation, one; medical incidents, 22; vehicle accidents, 13; rescue incidents, two; electrical incident, one; investigate various incidents, seven; and mutual aid/public safety assistance, one.