From Bryan County Sheriff’s Office reports:

Damage to property: Deputies and firefighters from Bryan County Fire and Emergency Services were called out to an Ellabell address around noon April 19 for a mobile home fire.

By the time the reporting deputy arrived, the complainant said he had the fire “mostly under control and that nobody was inside the home.” The deputy “advised dispatch and fire arrived on scene. After speaking with the fire department, the complainant explained that he had attempted to destroy a beehive with a can of engine starting fluid and a lighter,” the report continued. “The beehive was destroyed, however the siding to the house caught fire and caused damage to the outside wall, the flooring frame and the floor inside the mobile home.”

The man said he was a contractor and the place was due to be repaired anyway so he’d fix it up.

He got a case number.

Damage to property: A deputy headed north on Highway 17 around 3:20 p.m. April 19 saw a blue pickup pulled over on the side of the road. “I observed the front driver’s side wheel was no longer on the vehicle,” the deputy reported.

He talked to the driver, who said he was driving when he “felt his vehicle begin to wobble. He stated that he then slowed down and saw his tire rolling out in front of his vehicle.”

The man said the bolts on his “five to six lug wheel adapter” sheared off, causing the tire to come off and some minor damage to the driver’s side front quarter panel. No injuries were reported.

Simple battery: BCSO was called to a Richmond Hill address April 20 regarding a fight between a mother and daughter. The mother said her daughter got irate when she couldn’t find the charger to her phone, which had died.

The mom said she told her daughter to clean her room and bathroom, which made the daughter upset. The mom said they got into an argument and the daughter called her “derogatory names,” the report said. The mom told deputies she then told her daughter to leave and return both the car and house keys.

The mom said that’s when her daughter threw her phone at her, but missed, and the mom gave her daughter the phone back in exchange for her car and house keys.

The mom said the daughter then “punched her in the lip.”

The stepfather said he heard the argument and saw the punch, but didn’t see his stepdaughter throw the phone.

Two other daughters in the house, ages 13 and 6, also heard the argument but didn’t see the fight.

The daughter told the deputy she got mad when she couldn’t find her phone charger and slammed her bedroom door. She said when she was leaving the house, her phone fell out of her hand. She said her mom then “stood on the phone and hopped on it.” The daughter admitted punching her mom.

The deputy, who noted the mom looked like she’d been hit, didn’t see any damage to the phone. The daughter was arrested.

Matter of record: A General Dollar employee in Ellabell reported April 20 that “there was a juvenile hiding beside the store and asking older customers if they would purchase him some cigarettes.” One of the customers told an employee, who made the kid leave. Employees also wanted a report filed.

Theft by taking: This reportedly happened April 20 at an Ellabell convenience store. The woman said she turned on gas pumps for an older man who began pumping fuel while another man came and paid for $30.

“At this time the older unknown man had pumped $46.35 in fuel,” the report said. “The other fellow came back into the store and the clerk stated to this other person that his friend went over $16.85 in fuel and did not stop at 30.00 dollars. This person stated to the clerk he would tell the older man, however they left the scene.”

The car, which had Florida tags, turned out to be a rental.

Harassing communications: An Ellabell woman reported April 18 “that she has been in a church youth group chat on her cell phone. She has been receiving vulgar and inappropriate messages (from a number). When (she) contacted the individual that once had the number, that person stated that she no longer uses that number,” the report said.

“(The woman) tried deleting and blocking that contact but somehow the number continues in the chat, and messages are still coming in to the group for the young kids to view.

(She) has also tried to shut down the group chat and start a new one.”

The deputy “advised her to stop into a Verizon store and see if they could assist her in completely blocking the number,” the report said.

Matter of record: An Ellabell man reported April 19 that “someone threw feces on his 2018 (pickup).”

The deputy observed the vehicle. “It had feces spattered over the hood, the front windshield, and the passenger side of the vehicle.”

The complainant said he thinks his 19-year-old stepson did it, “though he has no proof.”