Police blotter
Man charged in rape of Grovetown woman
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A 36-year-old man is charged with raping a Grovetown woman at his home early Sunday.
According to Richmond County Investigator Sean Cochran and a jail committal, Anthony Lamont Googe, of the 1900 block of Lionel Street in Augusta, was booked into the Richmond County jail on charges of rape and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and for an outstanding arrest warrant.
3 Martinez residents die in weekend crash
A longtime state legislative assistant was among three people killed Saturday in a head-on collision on Interstate 20 in Warren County.
Warren County Coroner Paul Lowe identified the victims as Robert M. Rowell, 68, of the 3900 block of Loblolly Trail, Martinez; Alan William Dick, 63; and his wife, Leah-Tatum Dick, 57, of Martinez and Atlanta. Mrs. Dick was an administrative assistant for two state senators, Lowe said.
The Dicks were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, which occurred about 6 p.m.. Rowell was taken to Medical College of Georgia Hospital, where he died at 7:39 p.m., Lowe said.
Mr. Dick was driving a Toyota Avalon westbound on Interstate 20 when he veered across the median and into the path of Rowell, who was driving a Dodge Dakota pickup, according to Georgia State Patrol Trooper Willie Ramsey.
Murder suspect arrested in Evans
An 14-year-old Augustan accused of shooting his stepsister was arrested Friday at an Evans residence.
Eric Lee Phillips Whitehead was arrested at a friend's house in the 4400 block of Branchwood Drive.
Police said they believe that earlier in the day, Whitehead shot his 22-year-old stepsister, Patricia Leigh Troglen, repeatedly with a .22-caliber rifle as she slept on a couch at her Neely Road home in Augusta. Troglen's stepmother found her body Friday afternoon.
Police found Troglen's vehicle abandoned at the Raceway convenience store on Gordon Highway near Bobby Jones. They believe Whitehead is connected to the theft of the vehicle.
After his arrest, Whitehead told police he had had a dream about arguing with his stepsister. He said he awoke enraged from the dream and got the rifle from his stepfather's bedroom.
The following accounts were taken from reports from the Columbia County Sheriff's Office. Additional reports are available at www.columbia countyso.org:
Man confronts thief inside his car
An Evans man called police Sunday after confronting a man he said was stealing from his car.
The 26-year-old man said that about 12:15 a.m. he went to his front porch to smoke and saw a tan or gray Nissan sedan parked in the road just past his driveway. He noticed the light on inside his unlocked Toyota truck.
As he walked to the truck to turn off the light, he saw someone inside the truck. He ran to the truck and grabbed the man inside.
The thief was able to get away and left in the Nissan. The resident said the thief was 18 to 25 years old, 6 feet tall and 160 pounds, with dark hair; he wore tan shorts, no shirt and flip-flops.
A $300 Sirius radio had been taken from the vehicle.
Truck, computers stolen in Harlem
An employee of a Harlem business told police Saturday that someone had stolen a truck and computer equipment from the business during the night.
Between 3 p.m. Friday and 5:30 a.m. Saturday, someone broke into Augusta Poured Walls, 949 Appling-Harlem Highway. When he arrived, the gate was open and the lock cut.
As he drove into the garage, he noticed that a 2006 Ford F-150 truck, accessible only through a locked roll-up door, was missing. Keys to the work trucks are typically left on the dashboard of each truck.
Three computers and three printers, worth $1,700, were stolen from the office. The back door had been kicked in.
The truck was recovered on Harlem-Grovetown Road about a quarter-mile from the business. Sheriff's office tracking dogs followed a scent east less than a half of a mile before losing it.
Martinez-Columbia Fire Rescue Activity Report for Aug. 2-8:
Structure fires, three; wood/brush/grass fire, one; vehicle fires, two; controlled/unauthorized burns, two; activated fire alarms, eight; activated carbon monoxide detectors, two; medical incidents, 18; vehicle accidents, 16; electrical incident, one; storm damage, one; investigate various incidents, four; assist residents, four; and mutual aid/public safety assistance, four.