Police blotter
Sex offender charged anew in child pornography case
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An Evans man convicted in 2007 of inappropriately touching a teenage girl was arrested Monday after his daughter found inappropriate information on his computer.
Edward George Ferrang, 58, of the 1300 block of Shadow Oak Drive, was charged with five counts of sexual exploitation of children. He is being held in Columbia County Detention Center without bond, according to jail records.
Ferrang's daughter told police that while visiting her parents' home recently and using the computer, something popped up with the words "preteen/nude," according to a Columbia County Sheriff's Office incident report. She reported it to police Monday because her father is a registered sex offender.
Investigators checked the computer and found images of child pornography, said Columbia County Sheriff's Capt. Steve Morris. The computer was seized as evidence and Ferrang was arrested, Morris said.
Ferrang had been arrested in January 2007 after allegations arose that he molested a girl over a four-year period starting when she was 9. Ferrang was indicted on aggravated sexual battery and five counts of child molestation, according to court records. He spent 35 days in jail before being granted a $100,000 bond.
After he entered an Alford plea (allowing him to plead guilty without admitting guilt) to sexual battery on a child younger than 16, a judge sentenced him to three years on probation, a $2,000 fine and to register as a sex offender.
The following accounts were taken from reports from the Columbia County Sheriff's Office. Additional reports are available at www.columbiacountyso.org:
Police say man stuffed laptop into pants, ran
A man ran from a Martinez computer store Monday with a laptop computer shoved into his pants.
The owner of Computer Exchange, 3855 Washington Road, said a man entered the store and concealed a $400 Acer notebook computer in the front of his pants.
The thief left the store and the area in a dark sport utility vehicle.
Appling man is arrested after drive-by shooting
An Appling man was stopped by police Tuesday after a drive-by shooting in Appling.
Marcus Andrew Banning, 23, of the 6600 block of Shucraft Road, was arrested and charged with possession of a gun by a convicted felon. Banning was held in Columbia County Detention Center without bond, according to jail records.
Police were called to a home on Story Drive just before 2:30 p.m. about a drive-by shooting. The homeowner gave police a description of a gray Ford truck with two people inside. Police found a Ford Ranger, driven by Banning, on Cobbham Road.
Police searched the truck and found marijuana in the glove compartment and on the floorboard. A gun holster also was in the truck.
Banning's passenger, a 20-year-old Appling woman, showed police where they had thrown marijuana and the handgun used in the assault. Police found a Hi-Point .380 handgun and more marijuana in the 3300 block of Tom Bartles Road.
Additional charges are pending against Banning, according to sheriff's Capt. Steve Morris. No charges have been filed against his passenger.
Augusta man charged with shoplifting from Walmart
Police arrested an Augusta man after a brief foot chase outside the Martinez Walmart on Tuesday.
Francisco Antione Govia, 36, of the 1300 block of Greene Street, was charged with shoplifting and was being held Thursday in the Columbia County Detention Center on an $1,100 bond, according to jail records.
A loss prevention employee at the store at 260 Bobby Jones Expressway told police that she saw Govia put several items, including underwear, jeans and shirts, into a backpack -- none of which was paid for. The employee called police while watching Govia try to conceal more than $100 worth of merchandise.
When police told Govia to stop as he left the store, he dropped the backpack, took off a jacket he was wearing and ran. After he was caught, it was found that the jacket also had been taken from the store.