Police blotter

Inquiry studying death of inmate

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Jailers found an inmate dead Thursday morning in the Columbia County Detention Center.

Roger Allen Tyler, 46, of the 4100 block of Old Waynesboro Road, was found about 6 a.m. as detention officers served breakfast, sheriff's Capt. Steve Morris said. There were no signs of trauma or anything to suggest suicide or foul play, Deputy Coroner Harriett Garrison said.

As of Friday morning, autopsy results were not available, Garrison said.

Tyler had been in the jail for 17 days for failure to appear and probation violations, Morris said.

The sheriff's office is conducting an internal investigation, Morris said.

Motorist is injured trying to avoid deer

A Dearing man was in serious condition after his vehicle hit a deer Thursday morning near Harlem.

The deer jumped in front of a Mitsubishi Montero driven by Carl Green, 29, of Neal's Mill Road, just after 5 a.m. on Harlem-Grovetown Road west of Young Drive, Columbia County sheriff's Capt. Steve Morris said.

Green swerved to miss the deer and lost control, rolling the SUV several times, Morris said. He was flown to Medical College of Georgia Hospital for treatment.

Brothers arrested at Greenbrier High

Two Grovetown brothers were arrested Monday and charged with possession of marijuana and weapons at Greenbrier High School after one told school officials that he was carrying a knife.

Former Greenbrier student Chad Philip MaGill, 20, of the 400 block of Marble Falls, went to the school Monday afternoon to sign out his younger brother, sheriff's Capt. Steve Morris said.

Chad MaGill admitted to employees he had a knife, which led to a body search that turned up the knife and marijuana and more knives in his car, Morris said.

Police discovered that Colin James MaGill, 18, also of Marble Falls, had marijuana and a knife in his vehicle.

They were charged with possession of marijuana and weapons on school property and were held in the county Detention Center on Friday on a $5,200 bond each, according to jail personnel.

The following accounts were taken from reports from the Columbia County Sheriff's Office. Additional reports are available at www.columbiacountyso.org:

Two arrested after theft, police chase

Two Augusta men were charged Tuesday with shoplifting at a Martinez retailer and leading police on a short chase.

An employee of Wal-Mart, 260 Bobby Jones Expressway, told police that between 6:30 and 6:45 p.m., that the men --later identified as Michael Paul Bonner, 51, and Earl Lynch Johnson, 49 -- were stealing from the men's department. One concealed two pairs of gloves, a box of condoms, body spray and a hair brush inside his coat.

The men left the store and drove away in a blue Dodge truck. Police found the truck in a nearby bank parking lot and tried to stop the men. They followed the pickup as Bonner drove eastward on Washington Road. Police arrested the men after they were involved in a minor wreck. A third man in the truck ran away and as of Friday had not been identified or located.

Bonner, of the 500 block of 13th Street, was charged with shoplifting, fleeing and attempting to elude police, driving on a suspended license, improper use of a center turn lane, and making false statements/writings or concealing facts. He was placed in the Columbia County Detention Center on a $7,000 bond, according to jail records.

Johnson, of the 1100 block of Sharp Street, was charged with shoplifting and was held on an $1,100 bond, according to jail records.