Police blotter
Bomb-maker suspect released
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A Martinez man accused of keeping explosive devices in his home was arrested and released from jail Friday.
The Columbia County Sheriff's Office charged Chad Wells, 37, of the 300 block of Sally Drive, with possession of explosive devices, said Capt. Steve Morris.
Wells was booked at the Columbia County Detention Center after being released from the Joseph M. Still Burn Center. He was admitted to the burn center last month after losing fingers in a small blast at his home days before federal and local authorities found the explosives.
Wells was released on a $25,100 bond.
Four charged with drug possession
Four people, including a psychiatrist, were arrested at an Evans home last month after being found in possession of opium, prescription pills and marijuana, police said.
On Jan. 27, police arrested Dr. Jeffrey Lynn Rausch, 56, of the 1400 block of Ashwood Drive in Evans; Kelli Hope O'Quinn, 33, also of the 1400 block of Ashwood Drive; Lindsey Ann Cawley, 28, of the 400 block of Calberth Circle in North Augusta; and Daniel Brandon Waters, 18, of the 2400 block of Deodara Drive in Augusta.
Police say Rausch was pulled over after he made an illegal U-turn on Baston Road about 9:30 that morning. Officers found a glass pipe with marijuana residue and blue powder in his car, police said.
At his home, they found Waters with marijuana; Cawley with zolpidem sleeping pills and marijuana; and O'Quinn with marijuana, Vicodin and Lortab.
Rausch was charged with possession of a Schedule II drug, making an improper U-turn and driving on a suspended license. He was released from the Columbia County Detention Center after posting a $7,300 bond, according to jail records.
O'Quinn was charged with possession of marijuana and a Schedule III drug and was released after posting a $6,200 bond.
Police charged Cawley with possession of a Schedule IV drug and marijuana. She was released after posting a $6,200 bond. All three were released Jan. 28.
Waters was charged with possession of marijuana and was released from the detention center Monday after posting $1,100 bond, according to a jail spokesman.
Four arrested after botched robbery
A Martinez man, two Evans teens and a juvenile were arrested Feb. 2 after an attempted armed robbery set up as a drug deal in the parking lot of the Lowe's on Bobby Jones Expressway, according to Columbia County sheriff's Capt. Steve Morris.
Justin Lowell Luke, 22, of the 3800 block of Oak Drive, was charged with criminal attempt to commit armed robbery. A 16-year-old Evans resident was charged with conspiracy to commit armed robbery, Morris said.
Wesley O'Neil Capell, 17, of the 4400 block of Roxbury Drive, and Rodney James Abercrombie Jr., 19, of the 400 block of Arden Way, were charged with falsifying statements and concealing facts, a felony, Morris said.
Capell and Abercrombie told police that they were in a car in the lot of Lowe's about 6:30 p.m. with the 16-year-old when Luke approached their vehicle, pointed a gun at them and stated, "Give me all your money," according to a police report.
The teens said that they refused to give up their money and that Luke ran into the store. Lowe's employees stopped and detained the man until police arrived. Luke then took police to where he had hidden his gun in the lawn and garden section, Morris said.
The 16-year-old fled and was arrested Feb. 6 at the Columbia County alternative school, Morris said.
One of the teens later admitted that they had intended to buy drugs from Luke in a deal set up by the 16-year-old. They were charged with lying about the circumstances surrounding the incident, including the involvement of the juvenile, Morris said.
Capell was released from the Columbia County Detention Center on Feb. 3 after posting a $2,600 bond, according to jail records. Abercrombie is being held without bond because of a probation violation stemming from a conviction for possession of marijuana.
Luke is being held in the jail without bond because of an arrest warrant in Richmond County for failure to appear. The juvenile is being held at the Regional Youth Detention Center in Augusta.
Martinez-Columbia Fire Rescue Activity Report for Feb. 1-7:
Structure fires, nine; wood/brush/grass fires, six; vehicle fires; three; trash bin fire, one; activated fire alarms, 12; carbon monoxide detector, one; medical incidents, 24; vehicle accidents, 10; investigate incidents, nine; and mutual aid/public safety assistance, one.