Police blotter
Storms, flood cause problems in county
//
Several areas of Columbia County experienced flooding after 3.6 inches of rain fell Wednesday and Thursday.
Emergency and Operations Director Pam Tucker said a large flow of water flooded five homes on Kings Bridge Road with up to 6 inches of water. Emergency workers helped evacuate residents and a dog from 12 to 14 homes and move vehicles in low-lying areas to higher ground. Electricity to the homes was cut off to prevent electrical fires, Tucker said.
Firefighters rescued a woman trapped in her car in 2 feet of rapidly rising water in Arrowwood Trailer Park at 4477 Wrightsboro Road, said Martinez-Columbia Fire Rescue spokeswoman Honey Shore.
A creek flooded Wendell Way. County crews cleared six trees that fell in county rights of way, said Tim Holloway, the county's Roads and Bridges manager.
Most of the rain fell when a storm stalled for several hours, Tucker said.
"All things considered for the severity of the storms and how long they lasted, it wasn't too bad," Shore said.
Emergency crews also helped with a fallen tree near Morehead Drive and Columbia Road.
There were no injuries in any of the incidents.
No one injured in 2 fires
No one was injured in two recent fires that damaged three homes.
About 2:25 a.m. Monday, Martinez-Columbia Fire Rescue responded to a residential fire at 802 Sparkleberry Road in Evans. Fire was coming through the roof when firefighters arrived, but initial efforts were hampered because they had difficulty finding a fire hydrant obscured by shrubbery, said Honey Shore, the fire department spokeswoman.
The homeowner, Deborah Makerson, was awakened by crackling noises and fled. The house was extensively damaged by fire, smoke and water, Shore said. The cause was undetermined but was considered accidental.
Two Grovetown homes were damaged Monday evening after a cigarette appeared to have ignited potting soil, then the two attached condominiums.
About 6:30 p.m., fire started in a plant pot outside 821 Whispering Willow Court, said Grovetown Department of Public Safety Capt. Wayne Kent. The fire, which possibly started with a cigarette, went up the vinyl siding to the roof overhangs and attic of the home and the neighboring condominium, Kent said.
Firefighters contained the fire to the attics, but it caused moderate damage to the attic and roof. Both homes sustained smoke and water damage, Kent said.
The following accounts were taken from reports from the Columbia County Sheriff's Office. Additional reports are available at www.columbiacountyso.org:
Man stabbed at party
Columbia County police went to Trinity Hospital early Wednesday after a North Augusta man reported he was stabbed at a field party near Grovetown.
The 29-year-old said that he got into an argument with another man over religion that morning. His opponent pulled out a pocketknife and stabbed him in the elbow. During the struggle, the man said, he also was cut on the lower calf.
The victim ran to his car and drove to a friend's home in Augusta, then to the hospital.
He said he did not know anyone at the party and could not explain how he was invited.
Vehicles stolen at hotel lot
A Charlotte, N.C., woman told police Tuesday that a trailer containing all-terrain vehicles and motorcycles worth nearly $75,000 was stolen from a Columbia County hotel parking lot.
She and her family checked in to the Hampton Inn at 4081 Jimmie Dyess Parkway near Interstate 20 about 7:30 p.m. Monday. They were told to park the $18,000 trailer in the back lot.
The family walked to the nearby Cracker Barrel restaurant, and when they returned at 10:30 p.m., the trailer was in the lot. At 7:45 a.m., it was gone.
The woman told deputies that the trailer, which had a lock on the hitch, contained three ATVs worth $17,700, two Suzuki motorcycles worth $30,000, and $8,000 worth of miscellaneous equipment.
Garbage thrown into pool
A Martinez woman told police Tuesday that someone had thrown garbage into her swimming pool.
Between 8 p.m. Monday and 7 a.m. Tuesday, the vandal emptied a trash can that had been at the curb in front of her house into her pool in the backyard.
The can was returned to the street, but the gate to the backyard was left open.