CROWN POINT

Hobart man accused of shooting decoration

A Hobart man was charged Tuesday with shooting 15 to 20 times at a snowman lawn ornament, accidentally hitting a Hobart home, Lake County Criminal Court records state.

Blake Ewing faces a felony count of criminal recklessness for the Saturday incident.

The homeowner told police he was on a couch when he heard what sounded like a gunshot. A small bullet hole was in the corner of a window in his home, records state.

Ewing admitted he was shooting at the lawn ornament and admitted it hadn't been a good idea, records state.

CROWN POINT

Alarm goes off, man faces 5 drug charges

A Gary man was charged Tuesday with five criminal charges after police responded to an active alarm at his home, Lake County Criminal Court records state.

Letwott Bocot, 29, was charged with felony dealing cocaine, two counts of possession of cocaine and one count of maintaining a common nuisance, records state. He also faces a misdemeanor charge of possession of marijuana.

Gary police responded to the home at 802 E. 36th Ave. after an active alarm was reported. When they walked in, several clear bags of what was later determined to be cocaine were sitting in plain sight, records state.

Bocot walked in and admitted it was his home, records state. He disengaged the active alarm.

Police confiscated a total of 99.8 grams of cocaine, 4.4 grams of marijuana and $2,710 cash from Bocot and his home, records state.

CROWN POINT

Gary man gets 30 years for robbing elderly pair

A Gary man was sentenced Tuesday to 30 years in prison for robbing an elderly Hammond couple.

Landon Shaw, 20, pleaded guilty Nov. 7 to a felony robbery charge.

Shaw, along with Brandon Green. 22, of Gary, and Milo Walker Jr., 25, of Gary, robbed an elderly couple on Oct. 28, 2007, in Hammond, according to the Lake County prosecutor's office.

The 73-year-old male victim was struck in the head and some of his teeth were knocked out. They stole money, credit cards and identification. The female victim was 77.

Green was sentenced Aug. 7 to 60 years in prison for a series of robberies, including the one with Shaw. Walker pleaded guilty to felony robbery and is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 16.

CROWN POINT

Gary man gets 4 years for cocaine possession

A Gary man was sentenced Tuesday to four years in prison for possession of cocaine, according to the Lake County prosecutor's office.

Larry Hopkins, 33, pleaded guilty Oct. 8 to the felony charge.

Hopkins had more than 3 grams of cocaine on April 22 in Gary, prosecutors said.

CROWN POINT

Gary man accused of sex with 14-year-old

Convicted sex offender Timonium Wilson was charged Monday with five felonies in Lake County Criminal Court in connection with the rape and sexual battery of a 14-year-old girl who lived with him.

Wilson, 36, of Gary, faces felony counts of rape, sexual battery, two counts of sexual misconduct with a minor and failure to register as a sex offender, court records state.

Wilson denied that a juvenile girl lived with him when police stopped at his home, records state.

Police noticed a juvenile girl with no shoes walking alongside the house, records state.

The girl at first said she didn't live with Wilson, but later admitted she'd climbed out of the rear window of his home. The 14-year-old told police she ran away from Willow Glen Academy and went to a friend's house, where she met Wilson, records state.

Wilson told her he was 17 and invited her over, records state. When she arrived, he told her to go in his room and take off her clothes because a friend offered him $100 if the friend believed Wilson and the girl were having sex, records state.

The girl said she took off her outer clothing but left on her bra and underwear.

Wilson took off the girl's underwear and forced her to have sex, records state. She started living with him, and lived there for a month before police came.

During that time, Wilson and the girl had sex several times, records state.

Wilson is a sex offender who was convicted of sexual relations with a girl younger than 13 in Illinois, records state.

Wilson is being held on a $120,000 bail.

HAMMOND

Hammond Transit public hearing is on Thursday

The city of Hammond has substantially reduced the budget and operating schedule for the Hammond Transit System effective Jan. 1.

Route changes are as follows: elimination of all Saturday fixed route and paratransit services; elimination of Route 6, which operates Saturdays only; elimination of Route 1-C and Route 1-D weekdays, reducing Route 1 services to an hourly basis.

The city plans to end all service effective July 1.

The public is invited to provide comments via the following means:

* A public hearing at 9 a.m. Thursday during the regular meeting of the city's Board of Public Works and Safety in City Council chambers on the second floor of City Hall, 5925 Calumet Ave.;

* A public hearing between 1 and 4 p.m. Dec. 13 in the main floor conference room at the Hammond Public Library, 564 State St.

Written views and comments accepted at the Dan Rabin Center, 425 Sibley St.

Comments taken by Transit Director Keith Matasovsky at (219) 853-6514 or by Allen Hammond, compliance officer for the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission, at (219) 763-6060, ext. 141.

Via e-mail at Ridermail@everybodycounts.org.

ASL interpreter will be provided with 48 hours advance notice.

The legal notice explaining the reductions and elimination of service will be posted at the Dan Rabin Center and on all Hammond Transit buses. Available in alternate formats upon request.

GARY

Lincoln presentation time changed to 3 p.m.

The starting time for Friday's presentation at Indiana University Northwest by acclaimed Lincoln scholar and author Harold Holzer, Ph.D., has been moved from 6 p.m. to 3 p.m., according to university officials.

The time change was necessary in order to facilitate additional meetings between Holzer and IUN faculty and students during the afternoon. Holzer's presentation remains free and open to the public.

IU Northwest apologizes for any inconvenience this time change may cause to members of the Northwest Indiana community who had planned to attend the evening presentation.

Holzer will appear at IUN as part of a special fall 2008 convocation program held in honor of the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth. He will deliver a presentation inspired by his latest book, "Lincoln President-Elect: Abraham Lincoln and the Great Secession Winter 1860-61."

Holzer is the author, co-author or editor of 31 books on Lincoln and the Civil War, including "Lincoln at Cooper Union: The Speech that Made Abraham Lincoln President." That book earned Holzer the 2005 Lincoln Prize, which is the most coveted and prestigious award in the field of Lincoln scholarship.

HAMMOND

Shots fired, house hit but no one is injured

No one was injured when several shots were fired from a moving car on Monday afternoon in Hessville, but a house near Gibson Park was hit by a round, police said.

The homeowner told detectives he saw the passenger in a passing sedan lean out of the window and fire three or four shots toward the rear of the vehicle shortly before 3 p.m. in the 6200 block of Delaware Avenue.

One bullet struck the house, which sits on the east side of Delaware Avenue across from Gibson Park, police said.

Three adults and a juvenile were being questioned on Tuesday in connection with the shooting, police said.

EAST CHICAGO

Man snatches Indiana Harbor woman's purse

An Indiana Harbor senior citizen was not injured when a man grabbed her purse early Monday afternoon, police said.

The 71-year-old woman told police she was almost home at 12:30 p.m. as she crossed the intersection of Euclid Avenue and Broadway when a man came up from behind her and snatched her purse, which contained cash and identification.

The resident said she had seen the man at a Columbus Drive pharmacy a few minutes earlier, and thinks he may have followed her.

A witness told police the man ran to the alley between Euclid Avenue and Ivy Street where he jumped into a black sedan, which fled north in the alley.

HIGHLAND

Police say man thwarts scam artists at his door

A Highland man, who lives in the 2000 block of Ridgewood Avenue, likely stopped a scam by contacting police, Police Chief Peter Hojnicki said.

He said the incident was reported to police on Tuesday by a homeowner who said a man knocked at his door and said he was going to do yard work in the back of the property.

According to police, the man, described as white and in his 30s, attempted to get the homeowner to go to the backyard. The homeowner became suspicious when he saw another man get out of a gray minivan and appear to walk to the rear of the house.

The homeowner told police he asked the man who he worked for and refused to go to the rear yard with him.

The two men left when the homeowner threatened to contact police.

Police were unable to find the men when they arrived, but Hojnicki said it looked like an attempted scam.

"Fortunately in this case the resident did not become another victim. We would like to remind residents to call police immediately if they are approached and are unsure if the person or persons are legitimate," he said.

HAMMOND

PUC targets adults who are interested in college

Purdue University Calumet is holding a Special Registration Day for Adults today for individuals considering enrolling in spring term credit classes, beginning Jan. 12.

The day is intended for those who want to resume an education they began years ago, complete their degree, advance their career, pursue a professional certificate program, begin work on a Purdue degree, or enroll in a class or two for personal enrichment.

The adult registration day is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Room 131 of Lawshe Hall (Enrollment Services Center).

Adults will have an opportunity to discuss their goals and desires with university academic advisers, learn more about Purdue Calumet's academic offerings, find out about the university's fee payment plan and then, if they desire, apply for admission and register for spring semester classes.

Other information can be obtained by contacting Purdue Calumet's Office of Admissions at (219) 989-2213 or 800/HI-PURDUE, ext. 2213.

SCHERERVILLE

S'ville hosts breakfast event with Santa Claus

The Schererville parks department is hosting breakfast with Santa on Dec. 13.

Doors open at 9:30 a.m. at Andorra Banquets, 1112 U.S. 41. Children and parents will be greeted with holiday music and a breakfast of eggs, French toast, sausage and beverages.

Children can visit with Santa and receive a small gift. Admission is $4 for children up to 2 years old; $6 for children ages 3 to 11; and $7 for those 12 and older.

Tickets must be purchased by Dec. 10 at the Schererville clerk-treasurer's office, 10 E. Joliet St.

For more details, call the Schererville parks department office at (219) 865-5530.

HOBART

Precious Pup to host photo shoot on Friday

Precious Pup pet boutique hosts a pet picture day from 3 to 7 p.m. Friday at the store, 220 Main St., Hobart.

The event provides a chance for pets and their owners to have a professional holiday keepsake picture for $10. Shoppers and pet parents are encouraged to bring an unwrapped children's toy for the Hobart Tri-Kappa Giving Tree. They will receive a coupon for 20 percent off in-store purchases at Precious Pup.

The Hobart Tri-Kappa will provide gifts and food to families and senior citizens needing special assistance this holiday season. Precious Pup also will be collecting monetary donations to help the Hobart Humane Society.

For more information, call owner Kim Kelley at (219) 947-7711.

DYER

Board seeks answers to puzzle involving pond

Cleaning up Pheasant Hills pond should be a joint effort by the stormwater and park boards, Park Board members said at their November study session.

Although the town recently learned it may be eligible for up to $100,000 in grant money from the Lake Michigan Coastal program, Dyer still would have to ante up a matching amount, either in cash or in-kind services. Meanwhile, no grant money is in sight, and problems with the pond linger.

Pheasant Hills pond never was meant as a stormwater retention basin, and cannot serve as one in its current state. The 17-acre pond originally was dug by farmers who harvested peat. The whole area is on a peat bog.

The pond's shoreline is too unstable to support a formal walking path, the board's consultants have reported. It cannot support fish, is shallow and algae-filled.

Among the many fixes suggested for the pond include giving it a deeper bottom, installing fountains to improve the oxygen levels and removing invasive species.

If the pond is deepened, officials said, its banks could be shored up enough to support a path and other activities.

MERRILLVILLE

Town to fill vacancies on boards, commissions

The town is accepting resumes and letters of interest for upcoming vacancies on boards and commissions.

A three-year term will be available for one Democratic seat on the Police Commission and one Democratic seat on the Stormwater Management Board. A four-year term will be available for one Democratic seat and one Republican seat on the Plan Commission.

There also will be a seat available on the Board of Zoning Appeals.

Candidates must be Merrillville residents.

Candidates must submit their resume and letter of interest by noon Dec. 15 to the town administration office at Town Hall, 7820 Broadway.

CROWN POINT

Tickets now available for end of year party

The mayor's special events office is selling advance tickets to the fourth annual Grande Finale from 6 to 9 p.m. Dec. 31 in the downtown area.

Tickets purchased now are $5 a person.

At South Shore Arts, 138 S. Main St., magician Jerry Herzog will perform shows at 6 and 8 p.m. and Patti Mac the B'loon Lady will be twisting balloon creations.

The Crown Point Civic Center, 101 S. East St., will have an interactive dance party with Dora the Explorer, Boots and Diego at 7 p.m. and face painting throughout the evening.

Tickets the night of the event are $15. Advance tickets are available by calling the special events office at (219) 662-3290.