COA affirms tax suit dismissal for lack of jurisdiction
The owners of about 1,800 properties in Lake County lost their appeal Friday of the dismissal of a lawsuit against the county over an agreement regarding the payment of back taxes.
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Men charged in ATF agent’s shooting plead not guilty
Two men have pleaded not guilty to federal charges in Hammond stemming from an Indiana shootout that killed a third man and wounded an agent of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Justices appoint Lake Superior judge pro tempore
Lake Superior Court Judge Diane Kavadias Schneider will temporarily step down from her seat on the bench after informing the court she would be unable to perform the duties of her office. Serving in her place as judge pro tempore will be attorney Stephen A. Tyler.
Lake Station man gets 70 years in prison for girlfriend’s death
A Lake Station man convicted of killing his girlfriend has been sentenced to 70 years in prison. Jovanni Torres, 32, was sentenced Friday to 60 years for murder and 10 years for using a firearm in the crime.
Crown Point couple charged with neglect after boy shoots self
A Crown Point couple has been charged with neglect after a young boy they were babysitting found a gun in a bedroom and fatally shot himself. Rachel Lynn Griffin, 24, and Brett A. Beatty, 29, were charged Tuesday in Lake Superior Court with neglect of a dependent resulting in death and neglect of a dependent related to the death of 4-year-old Eric Cole.
Gary man facing death in slayings of wife, 2 kids loses PCR bid
A Gary man sentenced to death for killing his wife and two teenage stepchildren has lost his latest attempt to overturn his conviction – a post-conviction relief petition. Lake Superior Judge Samuel Cappas and Magistrate Judge Natalie Bokota determined in a ruling issued Friday that Kevin Isom of Gary failed to establish he had ineffective counsel at his murder trial or during the appeals process.
Accomplice sentenced in kidnapping, slayings of Gary brothers
An accomplice in the 2015 kidnapping and slayings of two teenage brothers in Gary has been sentenced to 12 years in prison. Kiontay Cason, 24, apologized in court for his role in the murders of 18-year-old Arreon Lackey and 16-year-old Antonio Lackey.
Man who replied “so what?” barred from unauthorized practice
A Lake County man who is not licensed to practice law in Indiana but who performed legal work for a friend in a family law matter has been permanently enjoined from continuing his unauthorized legal work.
Chicago man charged after Hammond fire killed 1, injured 2
A Chicago man faces murder and other charges in connection with an April 14 fire in Hammond that killed a woman and injured two others. Court records show 42-year-old Ronald Alan Gee also faces attempted murder and arson charges connected to the fire that killed 62-year-old Brenda Poole.
ACLU arguing for injunction against abortion law taking effect July 1
An in-court battle over yet another Indiana abortion law will take place Friday when the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana will urge a district court judge to enter an injunction against portions of a law set to take effect in less than a month.
Ex-Merrillville councilman gets 15 months for bribery
A former Merrillville town councilman was sentenced to 15 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to a federal bribery charge, with the court acknowledging he had already forfeited $7,500 to the United States.
Prosecutors drop sexual misconduct charges against East Chicago teacher
Charges were dropped against a former East Chicago junior high school teacher accused of sexual misconduct with two students. The teacher was charged in October 2016 with felony child molesting and sexual misconduct.
Gary man wants review of conviction in Indiana officer’s death
A Gary man who was sentenced to life in prison without parole for fatally shooting a Gary police officer is asking a court to review his conviction. Twenty-nine-year-old Carl Le’Ellis Blount has filed a post-conviction relief petition alleging Lake County prosecutors threatened him to get him to plead guilty to murder in the 2014 shooting death of Gary Patrolman Jeffrey Westerfield.
CHINS adjudication reversed; children not seriously endangered
The Indiana Court of Appeals reversed a trial court’s adjudication of children in need of services, finding the mother’s struggle for stable housing and her positive drug tests did not meet the Indiana Supreme Court’s standard that the children were seriously endangered. The mother told case workers she was an attorney.
Griffith woman charged after daughter shot at Illinois party
A Griffith woman has been charged after police say she accidentally shot her 5-year-old daughter during a party at a suburban Chicago home.
Gary man receives life term in 7 women’s deaths
A former Marine who admitted to killing seven women in a plea deal with Indiana prosecutors has been sentenced to seven life sentences.
EPA to update Hammond, Whiting residents on toxic cleanup
Residents of two northwestern Indiana cities are getting an update on efforts to clean up heavy metals near a former industrial smelter.
Ex-sheriff’s official pleads guilty to lying to FBI
A former Lake County Sheriff’s Department official has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI during a public corruption investigation that led to the conviction of former Sheriff John Buncich.
Judge sets hearing on request to block Indiana abortion law
A federal judge has set a June hearing in Evansville on Planned Parenthood’s bid to block a new Indiana law that requires medical providers who treat women for complications arising from abortions to report detailed patient information to the state.
Lake County Jail deal seeks to curb turnover, overtime
A county in northwestern Indiana has ratified a jail contract that increases jailers’ pay in an effort to curb turnover and overtime among corrections officers.