Police Blotter

Augusta Prep offers reward after vandalism/p>

Officials of Augusta Preparatory Day School are offering a reward for information about a weekend vandalism.

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Someone likely used an unlatched door to get inside the middle school building of the school at 285 Flowing Wells Road, said Rebecca Blair, the school's chief financial officer.

"We had vandalism to the middle school and fire extinguishers were dispersed into a majority of the classrooms and were especially focused on computers," Blair said. "Paint was thrown on an American flag in a teacher's classroom. It was a gift from a soldier in Iraq."

School officials believe the vandalism occurred Sunday because some of the red paint on the flag and floor was still wet when police arrived Monday.

Anyone with information about the incident should call the Columbia County Sheriff's Office at (706) 541-1044.

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

Parking lot argument in Martinez spurs 911 call

A woman reportedly threatened to shoot an Augusta woman over a parking lot driving incident Saturday.

The 26-year-old victim said she was at Kroger, 4115 Columbia Road in Martinez, about 11:30 a.m. She turned and passed a vehicle she thought was parked at the front curb. After she passed the car, the other driver honked, then followed her to a parking space. The other driver approached her and yelled, "I'm going to blow you away."

The victim said she told the other driver to get away, and then called 911.

The other driver said she had stopped in front of the store for pedestrian traffic. She said she had started driving forward when the Augusta woman turned near her, almost hitting her car. She said she followed the woman to her parking space, got out of the car and yelled at her, but denied threatening her.

The 911 dispatcher told police the only thing they could hear the other driver say in the background of the 911 call was, "I don't have a gun." The woman who called yelled at 911 staffers and was uncooperative, according to the report.

Distribution company's truck damaged, vandalized

Someone vandalized and possibly damaged a truck belonging to a distribution company in Martinez.

The branch manager of Fishman Distributors said that between 5 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. Saturday, someone broke into a box truck at the office at 476 Flowing Wells Road. When she rode by the business, she saw the hood of a 2006 truck open.

All the caps from the engine were removed, and the gas cap was open.

Man arrested, charged with striking deputy

A Martinez man was arrested Friday after he reportedly pushed and threatened a deputy.

The deputy said he was responding to a complaint about the man, Carl Fitzgerald Garnett Sr., 46, of Settlement Road, at the Martinez-Columbia Fire Rescue station on Sugar Creek Drive, about 3:45 p.m.

Police said Garnett had issues with his boss, who was not at the station at the time a deputy arrived. Garnett's boss returned, and Garnett became abusive and threatening as the deputy questioned him. Garnett was warned repeatedly to stay back, but did not obey.

The deputy said he stepped between the two men, telling Garnett to stay back. Garnett pushed the deputy in the chest and was arrested.

During the ride to the Columbia County Detention Center, the deputy said, Garnett was verbally abusive. When he opened the back door of the patrol car at the jail, Garnett tried to rush at the deputy and threatened him.

Garnett was charged with obstruction of a police officer and was released from the jail Saturday after posting a $1,100 bond, according to jailers.

Neither Garnett nor his boss works for Martinez-Columbia Fire Rescue.

Martinez Columbia Fire Rescue report for June 13-20:

Structure fires, four; vehicle fires, three; wood/brush/grass fires, six; controlled/unauthorized burn, one; activated fire alarms, 20; activated carbon monoxide detector, one; gas line rupture, one; medical incidents, 18; vehicle accidents, 11; electrical incident, one; investigate various incidents, six; assist residents, three; and mutual aid/public safety assistance, three.