Police blotter
Driver in fatal crash charged with DUI, vehicular homicide
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An Evans man found at fault for a fatal wreck in Columbia County on Nov. 24 was charged Thursday with first-degree vehicular homicide.
Daniel Edwin Morales, 38, also was charged with driving under the influence, serious injury by vehicle, reckless driving and driving too fast for conditions, among other violations, according to jailers at the Columbia County Detention Center.
Morales was released Thurs-day after posting $21,600 bail, according to jailers.
Morales was driving his Volkswagon Passat west on Washington Road near Blanchard Road at about 9:30 a.m. on Nov. 24.
Morales was traveling west in an east-bound lane when he collided head-on with a Lincoln Continental driven by Paul Alexander Autry, 37, of Old Louisville Road in Grovetown.
Autry's wife, Phyllis D. Autry, 54, was killed in the wreck. Mr. Autry was seriously injured but has since been released from the Medical College of Georgia.
The collision sent the Autrys'vehicle spinning onto the shoulder of the road. Morales' car then veered into westbound traffic before striking a Ford F-150 traveling east behind the Autrys. The driver and passenger of the truck were uninjured.
At the scene of the crash, police determined that Morales, who also was treated at MCG, was at fault for driving on the wrong side of the road.
The following account was taken from reports from The Columbia County Sheriff's Office. Additional reports are available at www.columbiacountyso.org:
Man threatens girlfriend, steals car, attempts suicide
A Grovetown woman recently told police that her live-in boyfriend scared her with a knife, stole her son's car and tried to kill himself.
The 54-year-old woman said she was sleeping about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday when her boyfriend came into the bedroom, said he didn't think she loved him anymore and began stabbing the mattress.
The woman ran to her 33-year-old son's room. Her boyfriend followed her and stabbed a wall several times. The woman said she called 911.
When a 911 dispatcher called back, the woman said her boyfriend had taken the keys to her son's car and left.
The boyfriend returned about 45 minutes later, while police were there.
He had two empty pill bottles, which has been filled Dec. 8, for Percocet and Valium. The man said he had taken eight of one medication and seven of another.
He was taken to Doctors Hospital for treatment.
Patrons paid for meal with fake bills
An operating partner of Fatz Cafe called police Tuesday after discovering that two people had paid for meals with counterfeit bills the day before.
The partner said that six counterfeit $20 bills were used to pay a tab at the restaurant at 464 N. Belair Road. One patron gave the server four bills, and the other gave the server two. The partner said he would try to identify the patrons on the restaurant's surveillance system.
Scam targeted elderly woman
An Evans woman told police Tuesday that she hung up on a man claiming she had won the lottery.
The 80-year-old woman said about 2:45 p.m., a man called her home and told her she had won $1 million. The caller asked if she wanted her check delivered publicly or privately. When she responded publicly, the caller said she needed to send $1,500 to receive her check.
The woman said she didn't recognize the number from which the man was calling.
Martinez home burglarized
The owner of a Martinez home called police Monday to report that someone had kicked in his front door.
Between 7 and 10 a.m., someone kicked in the front door of the home on West- mont Drive. The owner said it appeared someone had gone through drawers of a jewelry cabinet, but she was unsure whether anything was taken.