Police Blotter
The following accounts were taken from reports from the Columbia County Sheriff's Office. Additional reports are available at www.columbia countyso.org:
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Pizza driver choked during delivery
A delivery driver for Pizza Hut told police on Saturday that someone assaulted him when he tried to deliver a pizza.
The 19-year-old man said when he arrived at the Jaime Drive home in Grovetown about 7:40 p.m., someone approached him from the house yelling because the pizza was late. The driver said he told the man if the pizza was no longer wanted, he'd leave.
The driver said the man then grabbed his throat and pushed him off the porch. He said the man would not let him pick up the $25 pizza bag and the $16.56 pizza, so he left.
Police got the name and phone number of the person who ordered the pizza from the receipt and spoke to the man on the phone.
The man said he hadn't been at home since Thursday, when his wife was admitted to the hospital to give birth. A hospital employee confirmed she was admitted.
The man said he's had a problem with area juveniles having pizzas delivered to his address.
Deputy finds evidence of gang
A Columbia County deputy discovered a possible gang site when she found illegal dumping near a Martinez attorney's office.
The deputy said that while on patrol about 9 a.m. Saturday, she noticed what appeared to be illegal dumping near the office of attorney Michael Spence at 3523 Old Petersburg Road.
The deputy said she found items including couches, mattresses and car bumpers. She also found various gang graffiti spray-painted in black and red on the concrete.
Jewelry, money stolen from car
An Augusta woman called police Saturday after discovering that money and jewelry had been stolen from her purse in her parked car.
The 77-year-old woman said that when she returned home about 2 p.m. from visiting her great-grandson at a home on VFW Road near Grovetown, she discovered $100 and jewelry missing from her purse.
The woman said the cash, three necklaces and two rings, worth more than $4,200, were inside her purse in the unlocked vehicle while it was parked in front of the home. She said the vehicle also was left unlocked parked in front of a Grovetown home on Railroad Avenue.
Woman reports damaged mailbox
A Martinez woman called police Sunday about an ongoing problem with someone damaging her mailbox.
The 26-year-old told police that between 7 and 10 p.m., someone knocked over her mailbox. The mailbox was also damaged Dec. 24, but that was not reported.
The responding deputy said the metal pole holding the mailbox was bent and appeared to have been pushed over.
Stereo equipment stolen from SUV
An Evans man told police Sunday that someone broke into his vehicle and stole more than $500 in stereo equipment.
The 18-year-old said his Chevrolet Blazer was parked and locked in the driveway of his home between 7 p.m. Saturday and 9:20 a.m. Sunday when the theft occurred. He said Sunday morning that his parents found the back hatch door of the SUV open and a speaker box, a set of speakers and an amplifier missing.
The rear side vent window was shattered, the rear view mirror was found on the floorboard and an empty pill bottle was missing from the console.
Martinez-Columbia Fire Rescue Activity Report for the week of Jan. 3-10:
Structure fires, two; wood/brush/grass fires, two; vehicle fires, four; controlled/unauthorized burns, four; activated fire alarms, 11; activated carbon monoxide detector, one; interior natural gas leak, one; medical incidents, 19; vehicle accidents, 12; electrical incidents, three; rescue incident, one; weather damage, two; investigate various incidents, seven; and assist citizens, three.