Police blotter

Greenbrier student found dead on track

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A Greenbrier High School student's father found him dead Monday night on the school's running track.

Scott Gillen, 17, was found by his father, Kevin Gillen, after 10 p.m., lying face down on the school's track, Columbia County Coroner Vernon Collins said.

Gillen's father called 911 and tried to revive his son with CPR. Gillen was taken to Doctors Hospital by emergency responders, officials said. Gillen was pronounced dead at 12:31 a.m. Tuesday.

Deputy Corner Harriet Garrison said that Gillen was "working toward a fitness badge for Eagle Scouts."

Gillen went to the track to run and was gone longer than expected, Garrison said.

Though Gillen had a medical history of asthma, it was not known last week if it contributed to his death, Garrison said.

An autopsy was performed Tuesday. The results are inconclusive until more tests are conducted, which could take more than six weeks, Garrison said.

Court rejects ex-doctor's appeal

The trial for a former Evans physician convicted of sexually assaulting a child was fair and the conviction will stand, the Georgia Court of Appeals ruled.

In an opinion released last week, the court found none of the alleged errors cited by Jerry Jackson Lee II presented any reason to overturn the aggravated sexually battery charge for which he is serving 20 years in prison.

A Columbia County Superior Court jury convicted Lee, 50, of sexually assaulting a 9-year-old girl in May 2005. Lee, who had lost his license to practice medicine two years earlier, claimed he was only performing a gynecological procedure.

Jackson is being held at Ware State Prison in Waycross, Ga.

Richmond deputy faces charges

A Richmond County sheriff's deputy was arrested Wednesday and charged with extortion after accusations surfaced that he took money during a traffic stop, according to police.

Victor James Goad Jr., 33, of the 300 block of Avery Landing in Martinez, was charged with felony theft by extortion and violation of oath of office, according to jail records.

On Wednesday, Sheriff Ronnie Strength confirmed that a deputy was suspended and being investigated for not charging a person with illegal gun possession.

Internal affairs and criminal investigations are investigating the complaint, Strength said.

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

Student receives threatening text

The mother of a Greenbrier High student called police Monday after her daughter received a text message from another student at the school threatening to kill someone.

The message was sent to the 16-year-old girl at 9:43 p.m. and asked, "If I kill somebody, can I say I was at your house or something?"

The Evans teen also told authorities that her classmate said at school that she was going to buy a gun for $120 to kill somebody.

The Evans girl then called the 19-year-old classmate, who told her the person's name she wanted to kill and said he lived in Richmond County, and that she and "her group" were going to make the crime scene look like a robbery or a suicide.

As of Friday, the case was still active.

Man reportedly gets threatening note

A Martinez man told police Wednesday that he found a threatening note outside his house and fears for his life.

After hearing a noise outside his house at about 4:15 a.m., the 24-year-old said he found a note by this front door that warned him to watch his back.

The man said he has received several threats regarding his upcoming court sentencing but didn't know who was sending them. He said he fears for his life.

Harlem High staffer receives threats

A Harlem High School staff member called police Tuesday after she received a threatening cell phone call from a parent.

The 39-year-old said that a mother was upset with her for reporting child abuse of her young son. The mother called about 3:30 p.m., Monday and began cursing and threatening to beat the woman and kill her.

Man receives counterfeit bill

A Martinez man called police Tuesday after he received a counterfeit $5 bill from a Dollar Tree store in Martinez.

The 34-year-old said that he received the counterfeit bill from the Dollar Tree at 3830 Washington Road in the West Town shopping center.

He said he didn't know the bill was counterfeit until he arrived at his house and noticed that the print was smearing.