No cause of death ruling yet for Evans High senior
An autopsy failed to determine why an Evans teen died in his sleep.
Evans High School senior Kevin Oskar Zettelmeier, 17, died early Wednesday morning, said Columbia County Coroner Vernon Collins.
Mr. Zettelmeier's grandparents went into his bedroom at their Rachel Drive home to wake him up for school and found him unresponsive, said Mr. Collins, who pronounced the teen dead at 7:20 a.m.
An autopsy was performed Wednesday at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab in Augusta .
"We don't suspect any foul play or drugs in this case," Mr. Collins said. "But we don't know until we get these toxicology and lab results back."
Mr. Collins said the results should be available within two months .
Hephzibah man is sought in break-ins for cigarettes
Investigators have identified a man they say broke into three local convenience stores Monday to steal cigarettes.
Earl Alex Harris Jr., 43, is wanted on three counts of burglary, according to Richmond County sheriff's Investigator Aaron Hannsz. He lives with his father on Pineview Lane in Hephzibah and is believed to frequent known drug areas downtown, Investigator Hannsz said. The robberies occurred at McTeer Food and Fuel on 4150 Windsor Spring Road, McTeer Shell Station at 1237 Gordon Highway and Wally's on 4250 Windsor Spring Road, according to a sheriff's report.
In each case, Mr. Harris is accused of smashing the glass door or window at the stores and robbing the business of Newport cigarettes. Anyone with information can call (706) 821-1080.
Judge rejects bond for Martinez robbery suspect
A judge denied bond for one of two people charged in the Sept. 10 armed robbery of a Martinez jewelry store.
Superior Court Judge Carl C. Brown Jr. refused to grant a bond for Gerson Ayala Romero, 25, during a hearing in Columbia County on Thursday.
Mr. Romero and Elisa Johanna Martinez, 24, were arrested shortly after police say they and two other men used guns and knives to rob The Gold Shop at 3817 Washington Road.
Police still are trying to identify the other two men .
Employee held at gunpoint during robbery at motel
Two masked men robbed a Boy Scout Road motel Thursday morning.
One of the armed men held a female employee at gunpoint while the second robber went into a back office and took cash from a drawer, a Richmond County sheriff's report said. Anyone with information on the robbers can call the sheriff's office at (706) 821-1080.
Bank robber escapes as dye pack explodes
North Augusta authorities are searching for a man who robbed the Wachovia Bank branch at Georgia and West Buena Vista avenues on Thursday afternoon. A man wearing a red golf shirt with white stripes demanded money from a teller, according to North Augusta Public Safety Detective Tim Thornton. The man fled on foot behind the bank, where investigators believe a driver in an older model Buick or Oldsmobile was waiting, Detective Thornton said.
A red dye pack in the stolen money exploded as the suspect fled. Investigators described the suspect as a black man in his 40s. He is between 5 feet 6 inches tall and 6 feet tall.
Businessman admits filing false tax returns
The owner of an Augusta business pleaded guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court to filing false tax returns. Mark W. Taylor, 50, of North Augusta admitted he under-reported income from Mark's Truck Sales. He faces up to three years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
IRS Special Agent David Houk testified that a tip about Mr. Taylor's home valued at nearly a million dollars and his reported income of less than $60,000 for the 2002 and 2003 tax years started the investigation. Mr. Taylor's real income for those years was more than $223,000 and $120,000.
Thieves get $13,000 worth of auto parts
Thieves stole nearly $13,000 worth of car parts from Fenders Auto Salvage on Martin Luther King Boulevard late Tuesday or Wednesday, according to a Richmond County sheriff's report. They entered the business by prying the aluminum wall off of the warehouse.
Graniteville burglary search turns up clues
Aiken County authorities are searching for two men they say are involved in a burglary at 518 Rainbow Falls Road in Graniteville on Thursday morning. Capt. Dave Myers, of the Aiken County Sheriff's Office, said the bloodhound team, along with a helicopter, searched between the 7 and 11 mile markers on Interstate 20. The bloodhound team recovered clothing believed to have been worn by the burglars, Capt. Myers said. The men rode to the home on a stolen motorcycle, broke in, and fled the area on foot, he said.
Authorities had little description of the two suspects other than they were black males. Anyone with information should contact the Aiken County Sheriff's Office at (800) 922-9709.
The Augusta Chronicle ©2010 Morris Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Mr. Taylor from North Augusta files false tax returns and may face up to 3 years in prison but Rangel does the same thing and democrates don't want to hold him responsible.
Let's see, Newport cig's....Oh yeah. And those auto parts, funny how they all contained copper eh? Were any Newports found on the ground?
ICL: don't forget Giethner's failure to pay taxes (along with a few more of the "czars" appointed by the big O). Perhaps Taylor should use that as his defense!
I will guarantee you that Mark Taylor had something to do with the gypsies. That's how they are being prosecuted, they are using the IRS. Zillow is the IRS's friend.