Jan. 27: • Criminal trespass, suspicious activity — Employees from the Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church on Shaw Road reported that three men pulled up flooring from the indoor basketball court and said there was a history of people damaging the goals and stealing flooring. The three men reportedly left when confronted.
The responding officer left the scene but later was called back because the men returned. They said they were there to play basketball and denied tearing the floors. The officer reported that the males seemed nervous and one avoided eye contact during the encounter.
• Theft by deception — Two women were arrested for theft by deception and transported to the Hinesville Police Department after a Walmart employee reported that one was suspected of making fraudulent returns of items that her accomplice reportedly had picked up while inside the store. The employee provided a return receipt for the items that totaled $283.55, and the amount refunded was placed on a gift card, which enabled the store to retrieve the funds. The customer-service employee who handled the return said the suspect told her she received one of the items as a gift and had misplaced the receipt for the other.