Police: Man stole teacher's debit card to help buy heroin

LAPORTE | A man is accused of stealing a LaPorte teacher's debit card from her classroom and ultimately using it to help him purchase heroin.

Corey West, 32, was arraigned Wednesday in LaPorte Circuit Court on six counts of Class D felony fraud.

The LaPorte man was in a classroom Dec. 2 at Crichfield Elementary School measuring windows at the school to install privacy blinds.

The teacher was not in her classroom when West noticed she had left her purse.

According to court documents, West removed the debit card from the purse and drove the company truck to Walmart in LaPorte, where he bought several gift cards for $200 and other items on her account.

Records state the teacher soon returned to her classroom but didn't notice anything wrong until she got home and was called by her credit union about fraudulent purchases on her card.

West told investigators he used the gift cards to purchase heroin.

West was arraigned on those charges right after he was given 30 days in the LaPorte County Jail on a separate conviction for stealing tools.