Police blotter
Martinez man charged in several break-ins, thefts
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Authorities arrested a Martinez man Monday in several Augusta area thefts and car break-ins.
Richmond County deputies arrested Dustin Levi Overstreet, 20, of the 400 block of Blue Ridge Parkway, a day after he scuffled with a deputy.
Overstreet was charged with felony obstruction of an officer, entering an auto, simple assault, carrying a concealed weapon, attempting to remove an officer's duty weapon and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, according to Richmond County jail records.
According to police accounts, a Hogan Street resident said he awoke early Sunday when he heard someone entering his car. Outside, he found a man inside his car, but the man then ran away.
A Richmond County sheriff's deputy later saw Overstreet in woods near the 1000 block of Baker Avenue and chased and caught him.
During the scuffle, Overstreet punched the deputy and tried to remove his gun from its holster. He then pulled out his own pistol and tried to shoot, but the weapon misfired, the deputy's report said.
Overstreet escaped from the deputy but was arrested about 2:30 a.m. Monday at 910 Russell St., near the site of the break-in.
Authorities say they suspect Overstreet in a number of car break-ins in the area of McDowell Street.
He has outstanding warrants in Columbia County, including an order to show cause in Columbia County Magistrate Court and a probation violation, according to Columbia County sheriff's Capt. Steve Morris.
Eight arrested after two Grovetown homes searched
Eight people were arrested Saturday after Columbia County authorities searched two Grovetown homes.
After a two-month investigation, police searched 105 George St. and 215 Williams St. on Saturday night.
Cory Early, 26; John Dunn, 44; Tahavious Bauthry, 24; Joyce Bussey, 46; and Stephanie Solemon, 26, were arrested at the George Street home and were charged with possession of cocaine, according to sheriff's Capt. Steve Morris.
Police arrested three people -- Ernest Freeman, 23; Cazzy Lemon, 29; and Chris Bowman, 22 -- at the Williams Street residence. Freeman was charged with trafficking cocaine and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. Lemon was charged with possession of cocaine and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. Bowman was charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, according to Morris.
The following accounts were taken from reports from the Columbia County Sheriff's Office. Reports are available at www.columbiacountyso.org:
Neighbors report bullet holes found in property
A Martinez woman found a bullet hole in her home Friday.
She said that just after 1 p.m., she noticed bits of wallboard on the floor of her dining room and found a hole in the wall, which faces the street. Police said the bullet appeared to have been fired from the street, hit the exterior wall and ended up in an interior door frame.
A man who lives directly across the street from the woman said he discovered holes in his garbage can. The can was on the street in front of his home. Police said the bullet went through the can.
'For sale' signs put on car in owner's home driveway
Someone put "for sale" signs on a Martinez woman's vehicle during the weekend.
She said that between 11 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. Saturday, someone put two signs on the windshield of her Jeep Liberty in her driveway.
She said she also found the windshield wipers in the upright position and the spare tire cover ripped, as though someone had tried to pull it off.
Evans resident reports vandalism to decorations
An Evans woman saw someone damage her Halloween decorations Saturday.
About 3:45 a.m., she heard noises in her front yard and looked out the window. She saw someone in a hooded sweatshirt and jeans kick the Halloween displays in her yard and throw them to the ground.
The vandal, who the resident thinks was a woman, jumped into a black Ford Expedition and went north on Hardy Point Drive.
A deputy was unable to find the vehicle and did not see damage to the decorations.
Woman's vacant house is burglarized and vandalized
An Evans woman found that someone burglarized and vandalized a vacant house she owns on Washington Road.
Between 2 p.m. Thursday and 7 p.m. Sunday, intruders tore through a screened-in front porch of the house, which has been empty for several years, and used a cinder block to shatter the sliding glass door. The house was ransacked, and the woman was unable to determine whether anything was stolen.
Someone also tried to break open a door and a window, but both were boarded up from the inside.
Martinez Columbia Fire Rescue report for Oct. 18-24:
Structure fire, one; vehicle fires, three; wood/brush/grass fire, one; controlled/unauthorized burns, six; activated fire alarms, 14; medical incidents, 28; vehicle accidents, nine; gas line rupture, one; investigate various incidents, seven; mutual aid/public safety assistance, one; and other, one.