Police Blotter

Harlem police seek armed robber

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Harlem police were looking last week for a man they say robbed a convenience store at gunpoint.

A man entered the Jet Food Store at 355 W. Milledgeville Road at about 3:45 a.m. Wednesday armed with a handgun. The man approached the cashier, forced her to the register and demanded cash, Harlem Department of Public Safety Chief Jesse Bowman said.

"He took her from the back of the store, put the gun in her back and pushed her to the front," Bowman said.

The cashier gave the man cash from the register. He left the store and ran west, Bowman said. The cashier was not injured.

"Just a quick snatch and run, basically," Bowman said.

The robber was caught on the store's surveillance video. Bowman described him as a slender black man, 5 feet 9 inches to 5 feet 10 inches tall, wearing a black bandana over his face, a black skull cap, gloves, blue jeans and a black T-shirt.

Anyone with information about the man's identity should call the Harlem Department of Public Safety at (706) 556-6262.

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

Burglar tries twice on the same night

An Evans man called police to his home twice on Tuesday claiming he saw a man who tried to break into his home.

The 32-year-old said that at about 1 a.m. the alarm at his Maple Ridge Court home went off. The alarm showed that a back patio door had been tampered with. A cooler was sitting near the door and the rubber weather stripping was damaged.

The resident said he went into his backyard and found wet footprints on the fence leading to an alley that runs between homes in the area. He said it is the second time in 10 days that someone was in his backyard late at night.

About two hours later, the man called police claiming he saw someone again trying to break in.

As the man and his fiancee hid behind a sofa, he said they saw a shadow of a person pass by a kitchen window. When he opened the blinds, he said, a man was standing outside the window. The intruder yelled, "Boo" and some curse words before running away.

The man said he told his fiancee to call 911 while he ran outside to chase the intruder.

Burglar steals dolphin items

An Appling woman said someone stole $500 worth of dolphin memorabilia from her home over the weekend.

The 44-year-old said she was away from home Saturday and Sunday. She returned home Monday and discovered that someone had entered her Lakeside Drive home through an open window.

The burglar stole some CDs and about 20 pieces of dolphin memorabilia.