Appeals court rejects sentence reduction request in LaPorte coach sex case

INDIANAPOLIS | A former LaPorte High School volleyball coach, convicted of four felonies following a two-year sexual relationship with a student-athlete, must serve his full 21-year prison sentence, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Friday.

GUEST COMMENTARY: DCS study committee suggests real reforms

When the Department of Child Services Interim Study Committee began its work back in August, many feared its work would be an exercise in futility.

EDITORIAL: Judges shouldn't hesitate to extradite

Enrique Marks Jr. settled the question of whether to extradite him from Brownsville, Texas, by turning himself in to Lake County authorities after four years as a fugitive. The larger question of how to handle similar cases in the future, however, remains unresolved.

Lake County commissoner pushes for extradition of man accused of molestation

CROWN POINT | A Lake County commissioner said she is livid a fugitive wanted on child molestation charges was set free by Texas authorities after Lake County courts declined to extradite him.

Appeals court OKs Lebo trial in LaPorte HS volleyball sex case

INDIANAPOLIS | The Indiana Court of Appeals gave the go-ahead Friday for a trial to determine whether a former LaPorte High School volleyball coach failed to report an illegal sexual relationship between another coach and a student-athlete.

Gary man accused of sexual misconduct with 14-year-old

LAKE STATION | A 21-year-old Gary man sexually abused a girl in Lake Station, police said.

Westville man charged with Class B child molestation

PORTER | A 19-year-old Westville man has been charged with child molestation.

Feds: Lansing man tried to cross state lines to have sex with teen

CHICAGO | A Lansing resident is being held without bond on charges he tried to get a 14-year-old girl to travel into Indiana with him for sex.

Ill. man charged with aggravated criminal sexual abuse

Hilary Evers

Man charged in connection with sexual abuse of 12-year-old in Lansing

LANSING | A 63-year-old man was arrested Thursday in connection with allegations he sexually abused a 12-year-old in a Lansing home, police said.

Man accused of abusing girls for years

LAPORTE | A man police accuse of sexually abusing two LaPorte-area girls is in jail thanks to a text message concerning the allegations forwarded to authorities.

Officials charge Hobart man with molesting 9-year-old girl

HOBART | Police said a 34-year-old Hobart man molested a 9-year-old relative.

State rifle, proposals by region lawmakers on way to governor

INDIANAPOLIS | Gov. Mitch Daniels will soon decide if Indiana has an official state rifle and whether three measures sponsored by Northwest Indiana legislators that also received final legislative approval Tuesday become law.

State senator wants students taught to report sexual abuse

INDIANAPOLIS | In the wake of the child rape scandal at Penn State University, a Gary state senator wants Indiana students and teachers better trained to identify and report child sexual abuse.

Police believe Valpo woman molested at least one other boy

VALPARAISO | Prosecutors believe at least one other boy may have been molested by a 21-year-old Valparaiso woman who made an initial court appearance Monday on charges of sexually abusing a 3-year-old Chesterton boy she was baby-sitting.

Games pimps play: mental manipulation in prostitution

CHICAGO | Before co-founding The Dreamcatcher Foundation and becoming a Cook County Court advocate for victims of sexual exploitation, Brenda Myers-Powell spent 25 years as a prostitute.

Former Cal City cop pleads guilty to abuse

URBANA, Ill. | A former correctional officer at the Ford County Jail has pleaded guilty to a felony charge, admitting that he sexually abused a female inmate in her cell.

Kids Alive Haiti rescue efforts growing rapidly

VALPARAISO | It's been a year since an earthquake dramatically changed life in the already poverty-stricken nation of Haiti and brought unprecedented demand for Kids Alive International to care for orphaned and abandoned children there.

Former Clark band teacher sentenced to 30 years

HAMMOND | Former Clark Middle/High School band teacher James Ciammetti was sentenced Monday to 30 years in federal prison for taking part in a sexual relationship with an adolescent female student.

Sentencing delayed for Portage Twp. man

VALPARAISO | Sentencing was postponed Tuesday for a Portage Township man who pleaded guilty to sexually abusing his girlfriend's sister after she blacked out from drinking.