Police blotter
Dean investigation is concluded, police say
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A police investigation of Columbia County Commissioner Scott Dean has concluded, but no charges had been filed Monday.
Columbia County sheriff's Capt. Steve Morris said in an e-mail Monday that the results of the investigation have been forwarded to the district's attorney's office for review.
Morris would not elaborate on the specifics or purpose of the investigation, but an incident report filed in October said the investigation was triggered by a state Department of Family and Children Services report regarding "text messages alluding to inappropriate behavior in the household."
Augusta Judicial Circuit District Attorney Ashley Wright confirmed via e-mail that she had received the file on the case but said she is "unsure of how long it will take to review the information."
Four children adopted by Dean and his wife, Renee, were removed from their Harlem home by DFACS in October. They later returned to the house, but Scott Dean was required to live elsewhere during the investigation.
Police and DFACS officials have refused to comment on the reasons Dean was barred from the home.
In a statement Dean said that DFACS was called in to help in the search of his 17-year-old runaway daughter Marlin Dean, who was later found in Mexico.
The following accounts were taken from reports from The Columbia County Sheriff's Office. Additional reports are available at www.columbiacountyso.org:
Dealership's manager says SUV was stolen from lot
The manager of a Martinez car dealership called police Thursday to report a stolen vehicle.
He said that a 2011 white Toyota Sequoia, worth more than $59,000, was missing from Milton Ruben Toyota on Washington Road. The sport utility vehicle was stolen between 6:30 p.m. Wednesday and 2 p.m. Thursday.
Vehicle break-ins reported on Flowing Wells Road
Several vehicles at a Flowing Wells Road industrial center were found broken into Saturday.
A passerby notified police at about 11:30 a.m. that a van in the 400 block of Flowing Wells Road near Wheeler Road appeared to have been vandalized.
The van's window had been broken and work tools had been taken.
Two other vans at the same location were also damaged and a $400 table saw and other items were taken from them.
As deputies patrolled the area, they noticed two other vehicles with broken windows. A Garmin GPS unit and several tools were missing.
Each vehicle was locked and had been parked since Thursday.
XBox 360 accessories stolen from Target store
An asset protection officer at Target in the Mullins Crossing shopping center called police Thursday after two men stole game accessories from the Evans store.
The officer said she reviewed surveillance video of two men taking three XBox 360 sensors from the electronics department.
The men hid the items in their jackets and walked out of the store into a gray Jeep Cherokee sitting near the front door.
The shoplifting occurred at about 7:45 p.m. Tuesday.
Martinez couple found paint poured on vehicle
An Martinez couple told police Wednesday that someone poured white paint on their vehicle twice in the same day.
The woman said that she walked outside to take her husband to work about 6 a.m. and saw white paint on the right side of her 2002 Mercury Sable, which was parked in a driveway in the 200 block of Maywood Drive.
The couple washed the paint off at a car wash, and the woman returned home.
When she came outside about 7:30 a.m. she again found white paint on her car.
Martinez-Columbia Fire Rescue report for Dec. 19 - Dec. 25:
Medical incidents, 19; vehicle wrecks, seven; activated fire alarms, 10; structure fires, one; mutual aid/assist public safety, three; activated carbon monoxide detector, one; investigations, four; assist citizens, two; vehicle fires, two; alarm out of service, two; CPR in progress, two; hazardous materials, one; controlled/ unauthorized burns, three; and wood/ brush/grass fires, five.