He may have said he was kidding, but no one was laughing when a man went to the Shell Mart at 505 Vernon St. and threatened to rob it.

The store owner said a man wearing a red and white striped shirt entered the store and said, “Give me all your money,” then said he was kidding. When the owner told him to get out of the store, the man said he had to purchase some items. He made his purchases and calmly walked out of the store, heading east. Nothing was stolen in the incident.

Ex-boyfriend faces robbery charge

LaGrange police charged Jeffery Kyle Noles, 20, with strong-arm robbery after he wrapped his arms around his ex-girlfriend and took her $400 Android cell phone.

The woman was visiting friends at Woodland Trail apartments at 140 N. Davis Road when Noles showed up. She said she went to talk to him outside and he said, “Give me your phone.” She refused and there was a brief struggle before he snatched it from her hand and took off.

Noles was later arrested by Troup County sheriff’s deputies at his Knott Road residence.

Cleaning shoes leads to arrest

The day didn’t get any better for a man who went to West Georgia Medical Center after accidentally drinking bleach. The 21-year-old was arrested by police on an outstanding warrant for disorderly conduct.

The man said he was cleaning his shoes with a cup of bleach at the same time he was drinking a soft drink and mistakenly picked up the wrong container and drank the bleach. When he sought treatment, police, who had been called to the hospital for the incident, found the warrant. When the man was discharged, they arrested him.

Deputies probe church burglaries

Area churches are being cautioned by Troup County deputies to make sure buildings are secure and electronics are registered after two reported burglaries in the Gray Hill School area. In the first incident at Gray Hill Baptist Church, thieves forced their way in and took an undisclosed amount of cash and electronic equipment.

Electronic equipment also was taken from Friendship Baptist Church on Gabbettville Road after thieves forced open the back door.

Burglary

Maintenance workers of Autumn Ridge Apartments at 1246 Mooty Bridge Road said thieves used a garden tool to remove a deadbolt lock from a shed door, then took a $1,600 Yard Machine riding mower and two Brute pressure washers worth $400 each.

Forgery

A woman who claimed to be from Dr. Woody Jones’ office in West Point called in prescriptions for a woman for Napro and Lortab to Corley Drugs at 820 N. Greenwood St. An employee of the pharmacy said he suspected the call was fake because he speaks frequently to the employee named and would have recognized her voice.

When the woman came to claim the prescriptions for a third party, the pharmacist asked for the patient’s phone number, saying he had a question. The woman left the store without the drugs.

Damage

A vandal kicked in the side door of a vacant house in the first block of Fulton Street, but nothing was taken. Damage was less than $500.

Fire

A fire reported at 12:43 p.m. Thursday caused an estimated $12,000 to $15,000 damage to the residence of Nartorious Varner at 103 Butler St.

LaGrange Fire Chief of Operations Chris Smith said the blaze started after children threw a piece of clothing into a space heater.

A police officer said a child was believed to be in the house, but “as I arrived into the area I was advised that the child had been located and was safe.

A woman in the residence, Terini Smith, was taken to West Georgia Medical Center with a complaint injury.

— It is the policy of LaGrange Daily News to print the names of people charged with felonies.