3 charged in Porter County home invasion; new details emerge

VALPARAISO | The four men accused of robbing a Porter Township woman Wednesday in a home invasion took advantage of her kindness when she opened her door to offer a "lost" driver a glass of water, authorities said.

Police: Daughter discovered mom doing heroin

PORTER TOWNSHIP | A Lakes of the Four Seasons woman and a friend were arrested Thursday night after her daughter reportedly found them cooking heroin in a closet.

Driver who hit cars in Porter County facing DUI count

WESTCHESTER TOWNSHIP | A Kentucky man reportedly crashed into two cars in Porter County en route to his drunken driving arrest east of Michigan City.

Porter County crimeBriefs

Cops: Drunken driver hit light pole in Vale Park roundabout

Police: Man told cops they'd need 'more than a Taser' to stop him

PORTAGE TOWNSHIP | A South Haven-area man was arrested on intimidation charges after he threatened officers who were trying to break up a fight, police said.

Beer bottle DNA leads to burglary charge

PORTER TOWNSHIP | A Hammond man was charged with burglary after police said his DNA was lifted from a beer bottle left at the scene of a crime.

Cops think drunken driver may be multi-state con artist

MORGAN TOWNSHIP | Authorities believe they caught a man with a lengthy criminal record trying to scam an elderly woman.

Police: Woman with distinct style arrested after shoplifting

PORTAGE | Police said a Lake Station woman's fashion sense helped officers find her in a Portage High School bathroom, after she reportedly stole from Kohl's and fled across U.S. 6.

Health clinic to take place of vacant building supply store

VALPARAISO | After years of vacancy, a Valparaiso building is set to be refurbished to serve a growing number of uninsured and under-insured residents in need of health care.

Valpo man surrenders after standoff

VALPARAISO | A nearly four-hour standoff ended just before 10 a.m. Tuesday, as a man holed up inside a business surrendered to police.

Porter County crimeBriefs

Men allegedly follow teen girl outside South Haven school

Man at campground allegedly threatened officers

PORTAGE | An Illinois man faces multiple criminal charges following an altercation at a north side campground.

Cops: Drunk teen injured in crash

CENTER TOWNSHIP | A teenage boy was drunk when he crashed a stolen car and caused serious injury to himself, authorities said.

Berta, Doane to guide Valparaiso schools through rebuilding

VALPARAISO | After one month and six days of retirement, former Portage schools chief Mike Berta will be back on the job Tuesday as interim superintendent of the Valparaiso Community Schools.

Seven injured in chain-reaction crash on I-80/94 near Gary

GARY | Seven people, including a Highland woman, were taken Saturday to the Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus following a chain-reaction crash on Interstate 80, just east of Grant Street.

Winds whip trees as brief storm batters region

Fallen tree branches left nearly 60,000 residents without electricity Saturday afternoon as a line of strong storms swept through Northwest Indiana and the Chicago area.

Portage Twsp. woman allegedly attacks two teens

PORTAGE TOWNSHIP | Authorities say they arrested an intoxicated woman who left a South Haven bar Tuesday night and attacked two teenage girls.

Police: Man on ATV tries to evade cops

PORTAGE | A Hegewisch-area man who stopped for gas on his ATV, then zoomed off after being approached by police, was arrested Tuesday night following about an hour on the lam, police said.

Man says fight ends with gun threat outside bar

PORTER | A Porter resident suffered minor injuries following a fight Wednesday outside a bar.

Porter County crimeBriefs

Police: Portage man fractures skull in motorcycle accident

Police: Drunken man needed a hug

CENTER TOWNSHIP | Police nearly had a warm and fuzzy exchange with an allegedly intoxicated man Sunday morning after they said he crashed and flipped his pickup truck.

Porter police investigating weekend robbery at truck stop

PORTER | Police are looking for a man they say robbed a busy truck stop at gunpoint Sunday.

Portage police investigate 'Dark Knight' battery, theft

PORTAGE | Police are asking for help in identifying two men they say injured a theater employee during the theft of a promotional poster for the new Batman film.

Cornfields prove lousy hiding place for man accused of stealing pills

PLEASANT TOWNSHIP | A 25-year-old man reportedly ran through cornfields for three hours in an unsuccessful attempt to evade police after allegedly stealing medication from his girlfriend's mother.

Police: Teen boy punched girl, ripped hair extensions

VALPARAISO | A 17-year-old boy was arrested early Monday after police said he punched a 17-year-old girl in the face. His alleged victim also was arrested, police said, after she admitted to drinking alcohol.

Police: Drunken teen who hit nurse arrested

LIBERTY TOWNSHIP | Police said a drunken 15-year-old girl found unconscious in the street at a mobile home park Sunday afternoon was arrested after punching and kicking nurses and security guards at Porter hospital.

Valpo schools fencing plan greatly reduced

VALPARAISO | New fencing will soon be constructed outside a number of Valparaiso's school buildings, but nowhere near the amount originally proposed.

Police: Men tackled suspected car burglar

PORTAGE TOWNSHIP | Two men tackled an 18-year-old South Haven man after police said they caught him breaking into cars.

Police: Man who jumped from window to avoid arrest arrested

VALPARAISO | Police said a 22-year-old man who jumped from a second-floor window in an effort to avoid arrest wasn't counting on an armed officer waiting for him.

Portage woman's remains identified 30 years after disappearance

PORTAGE | Thirty years after she went missing, police know where Kimberly Wuerthele died.

Porter County crimeBriefs

Employee charged with theft after jewelry goes missing

Public gets look at superintendent contract stipulations

VALPARAISO | The Valparaiso Community School Board became the first in the state to comply with a newly enacted law by publicly announcing the compensation parameters for a new interim superintendent.

DNA from baseball cap helps police ID alleged bank robber

PORTAGE | Police said DNA taken from a baseball cap left behind after the May robbery of a Chase Bank branch points to a Gary man.

Valparaiso 92-year-old woman is victim of tree-trimming scam

VALPARAISO | Police are looking for two men who preyed upon an elderly woman to steal her purse.

Man is allegedly attacked by houseguest in Portage

PORTAGE | A 32-year-old man was arrested after reportedly beating up a friend who allowed him to stay at his place.

School board to set terms for interim superintendent

VALPARAISO | School Board members will meet Thursday to discuss terms of employment for an interim superintendent.

Girl suffers facial damage following dog bite

LIBERTY TOWNSHIP | A girl was left with facial nerve damage after apparently being bit by a neighbor's dog.

Police: Dog attacks threatening man

VALPARAISO | Police are looking for a man with bite marks to his arm and leg after they say he tried to break into a woman's apartment and was greeted by her dog.

Valpo School Board reinstates some cut positions

VALPARAISO | With revenue projections looking slightly better than expected, Valparaiso School Board members reinstated a number of positions lost in a recent round of budget cuts, including 19 instructional aides.

Portage police raid pot-smoking party

PORTAGE | Police arrested six people after a fight broke out at a beer-drinking, marijuana-smoking party.

Police: Portage man beat, tied up pregnant girlfriend, father, uncle

PORTAGE | Two men and a pregnant woman broke free and ran to a fire station for help Monday after a relative beat them and used an extension cord to tie them to lawn chairs, police said.

Text tip leads to arrest of Valpo girls accused of auto theft

VALPARAISO | Two teenage girls were arrested Tuesday after police said they received an anonymous text message tip the girls were joyriding in a stolen car.

Police, victim search for clues in June hit-and-run

LIBERTY TOWNSHIP | Every time she moves, Gabrielle Bigman is reminded of what she's been told happened to her the night of June 11.

Cops: Man flees, is later arrested

VALPARAISO | A Center Township man evaded authorities for more than two hours after he was reportedly spotted staggering from a liquor store with a 10-year-old child in his car.

Man says wife stabbed him during argument

PORTAGE | A Portage man suffered a stab wound following a reported argument with his wife.

Lake Eliza shooting under investigation

PORTER TOWNSHIP | A 27-year-old Lake Eliza man is recuperating after authorities said he was shot with a shotgun Friday afternoon.

Police: Drunken Valpo teen flashed kids

VALPARAISO | Police said a drunken teenager was arrested for flashing a group of children playing outside their home.

Man arrested after crash

PINE TOWNSHIP | A man driving from Lake Station to Hammond was surprised when he learned he crashed his car near the LaPorte County line, authorities said.

Bach murder trial delayed

VALPARAISO | A 19-year-old Union Township man accused of killing his former girlfriend last year will not face a jury in August as was expected.

Kouts woman pleads guilty to '08 crash that killed Valpo teen

VALPARAISO | A Kouts woman who police say was testing the limits of a new Ford Mustang when she crashed and killed a 16-year-old passenger pleaded guilty Thursday to a charge related to the girl's death.