Police blotter
Man charged with trying to lure teen
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A Martinez man taken into federal custody Friday is accused of trying to lure a young teen into meeting for sexual encounters.
According to the warrant issued in Albany, N.Y., Michael Adam, 50, is accused of communicating by e-mail and Webcam with an investigator with New York State Police whom he thought was a 13-year-old girl.
Adam was brought before Superior Court Judge Daniel Craig on Friday because no federal judge was available.
Adam will be held in custody until a federal judge is asked to consider his release on bond or detention until possible indictment and trial.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from Columbia County Sheriff's Office deputies, served a search warrant Friday morning on Adam's home on the 3500 block of Evans-to-Locks Road.
FBI Special Agent Anthony Russo said the warrant in the case is sealed, and would not reveal what agents were seeking in the home.
Adam was allegedly snared by a New York police officer working undercover for the past 18 months. The officer pretended to be a 13-year-old girl, and Adam is accused of expressing an interest in meeting with a girl in Albany to engage in sexual acts, according to the federal complaint.
Adam allegedly used a webcam to engage in a personal sexual act witnessed by the officer. He is also accused of directing the officer to pornographic Web sites.
He faces a possible mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison if convicted.
Three teens hurt in weekend car wreck
A Lincolnton, Ga., teenager who was injured in a car wreck in Columbia County on Saturday remains in critical condition at the Medical College of Georgia Hospital.
Tyler Epps, 16, was airlifted to the hospital Saturday.
Columbia County sheriff's Deputy Keith Warner said the wreck occurred about 2 p.m. Saturday on Ray Owens Road, near Appling.
Epps was riding in the back seat of the vehicle when it crashed going around a curve. The vehicle overturned several times and landed in a ditch.
The driver, Ashley Teeters, 16, of Martinez, and another passenger, Ian McGahee, 15, of Lincolnton, were treated at MCG for minor injuries.
Speed appears to have been a factor in the wreck.
None of the teens were wearing seat belts, and charges are pending against the driver, Warner said.
The following account was taken from reports from the Columbia County Sheriff's Office. Additional reports are at www.columbiacountyso.org:
Credit cards used after wallet stolen
An Evans woman told police that someone had charged more than $1,300 on credit cards stolen from her car.
The 49-year-old said that her 2006 Honda Element was in her garage on Connor Circle when it was broken into about 2 p.m. May 19. Her wallet, containing several credit cards, was taken out of her purse.
She told police that someone using her credit cards racked up nearly $1,400 in charges before the cards were canceled.
Martinez-Columbia Fire Rescue report, May 17-23:
Structure fires, three; vehicle fire, one; controlled/unauthorized burns, three; activated fire alarms, 11; medical incidents, 14; vehicle accidents, 13; rescue incident, one; weather damage, one; assist citizens, two; and mutual aid/public safety assistance, one.