County-hired lawyer grilled about advice given to Philpot

HAMMOND | An attorney hired to advise the clerk's office during Lake County Coroner Thomas Philpot's term testified for about three hours Thursday during Philpot's theft and fraud trial.

Day three of Philpot trial: Attorney advised Philpot OK to take payments

HAMMOND | Lake County Coroner Thomas Philpot received a letter telling him he did not need County Council approval to receive incentive payments from a child support incentive fund, according to evidence introduced on the third day of his fraud and theft trial.

Workers' testimony conflicts in Philpot trial

HAMMOND | A state representative and former clerk employee gave conflicting testimony Tuesday as to how controversial incentive payments came to be during the Lake County coroner's tenure as clerk.

Lake County coroner's fraud trial kicks off in federal court

HAMMOND | The federal corruption trial of Lake County Coroner Thomas Philpot kicked off Monday to determine whether he knew taking incentive payments as an elected official was wrong.

Pelke's devotion to family, faith resonates decades after murder

Ruth Pelke's family has fond memories of holidays in her Gary home, complete with crocheted gifts, colored cookies and "Nana salad," Pelke's macaroni salad mixed with watermelon pickles.

Gary officer was recorded committing offenses

HAMMOND | A Gary police officer arrested Tuesday on drug trafficking and firearms charges was recorded committing the offenses, according to a criminal complaint.

Source: Search of surveyor's office related to suspicion of campaigning on county time

HAMMOND | A federal investigation into Lake County Surveyor George Van Til involves whether he engaged in campaigning activities while on the county clock, The Times has learned.

Staggering rape numbers for Indiana, youths

About one in five Hoosier women have been victims of rape at some point in their lifetime, according to recent shocking statistics from the Centers for Disease Control.

Young Chicago mother changes plea to guilty for aiding and abetting murder for Latin Kings

HAMMOND | A young Chicago mother changed her plea to guilty Wednesday for aiding and abetting a murder for the Latin Kings.

Valpo man, a former priest, gets 10 years for child enticement

HAMMOND | A 71-year-old Valparaiso man and former priest was sentenced to 10 years in prison Tuesday for trying to seduce a 15-year-old boy.

Illinois man, 37, enters into plea deal for heroin distribution

HAMMOND | A University Park, Ill., man entered into a plea agreement for conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute more than one kilogram of heroin.

Second ex-Chicago cop changes plea to guilty in gang racketeering case

HAMMOND | A former Chicago police officer admitted to committing armed robberies in Illinois, Hammond and East Chicago for the Latin Kings street gang at a federal hearing Thursday morning.

Gary man, 18, enters plea deal in convenience store robbery

HAMMOND | An 18-year-old Gary man entered into a plea agreement Monday for robbing a Gary gas station and convenience store.

Man sentenced to more than 12 years for role in heroin ring

HAMMOND | A heroin addict who drove from Chicago a few times a week to transport the drug to Indiana was sentenced Monday afternoon to 151 months in prison.

Gary urban garden growing despite drought

GARY | Despite soaring temperatures, a Gary urban farm is holding its own against the heat.

Gary woman pleads guilty to stealing $55K in Social Security benefits from kids

HAMMOND | A Gary woman accused of taking more than $50,000 in Social Security survivor benefits from children whose mother died plans to change her plea to guilty, according to court filings released Thursday.

Ex-Chicago cop to plead guilty to racketeering in Latin King case

HAMMOND | A former Chicago police officer has joined the majority ranks of those who signed plea agreements in the widespread Latin Kings racketeering case, according to court filings released Thursday.

Three Latin Kings enter into plea agreements

HAMMOND | Three more Latin King gang members entered into plea agreements with the government, leaving just a handful of defendants remaining for trial.

Defendant representing self in kidnapping trial calls victim to testify

HAMMOND | In a rare set of circumstances, the defendant in a kidnapping case asked his alleged victim questions under direct examination during his federal trial.

Witness 'can't remember' kidnapping

HAMMOND | Kicking off a kidnapping trial Monday, a 21-year-old Missouri woman claimed to not remember sprinting naked into a Portage liquor store to escape her father.

Two more alleged Latin King members plead guilty to racketeering

HAMMOND | More than half the defendants named in the sweeping Latin Kings racketeering indictments have entered into plea deals with the government, and more are expected in the coming week, according to court filings made Monday.

Paula Cooper: Convicted of murder at 15, a Gary woman prepares for her 2013 release

ROCKVILLE, Ind. | Paula Cooper mixed no-bake cookies, creating balls of sweet coconut and baking cocoa the size of a fist.

U.S. attorney stresses federal, state and local cooperation

GARY | U.S. Attorney David Capp, an alumnus of Gary's Lew Wallace High School, returned to the city Monday afternoon to speak at a Chamber of Commerce meeting about cooperative crime-fighting efforts in the region.

Notre Dame contraception lawsuit to be heard in Hammond court

HAMMOND | The national debate over religious freedom and health care reform will play out locally in a Hammond federal court case filed by the University of Notre Dame.

Four indicted in alleged $9.1 million mortgage fraud scheme

CHICAGO| A Glenwood woman was one of four indicted in an alleged $9.1 million mortgage fraud scheme involving at least 42 properties, according to statement issued Monday by the U.S. attorney's office.

Weinberger plea deal in the works

HAMMOND| Merrillville's infamous ear, nose and throat doctor could be close to a second plea deal in his federal health care fraud case, according to court records filed Monday.

Judge grants motion to dismiss suit against Gary library board

HAMMOND | A federal judge dismissed a civil lawsuit Gary residents had filed against the city's library board of trustees to prevent the main library from being turned into a museum, according to court documents filed Wednesday.

Man gets probation, home detention for decade of environmental violations in Michigan City

HAMMOND | The former superintendent of Michigan City's wastewater treatment plant narrowly avoided a prison sentence Wednesday after violating the Clean Water Act for almost a decade.

Gary man agrees to plea deal on day of attempted robbery trial

HAMMOND | The federal trial of a Gary man accused of conspiring to rob a drug house was scheduled to start Monday, but at the last minute the man decided to enter into a plea agreement.

Hammond man gets 12 years in bogus drug dealer robbery

HAMMOND | A Hammond man who helped plot an armed robbery of what the group thought was a drug house was sentenced Wednesday to 12 years in prison.

Law enforcement searches Michigan City-area gun shop

MICHIGAN CITY | Federal, state and local law enforcement executed a search warrant on a Michigan City-area gun shop and the owner's home over a span of about six hours Tuesday afternoon.

Burns Harbor company alleges trademark infringement

HAMMOND| A Burns Harbor company that designs, creates and sells construction products is suing a New York-based company in federal court alleging trademark infringement.

Judge denies government's motion to dismiss wrongful death suit

HAMMOND | A federal judge denied the government's motion to dismiss the wrongful death suit of an alleged Latin Dragon gang member whom an officer shot and killed during an attempted arrest in 2007.

Two Hammond men convicted again of murdering, robbing gun shop owner in 2000

HAMMOND | After several hours of deliberations Tuesday, a jury found two Hammond men guilty of murdering an elderly gun shop owner and stealing his firearms in a case that has spanned 12 years and more than one trial.

Woman changes plea to guilty in Gary day care fraud

HAMMOND | Gary's Little Angels Daycare II seems to have tarnished its halo in a wire fraud scheme that siphoned at least $120,000 from government aid programs.

Hammond armed robbery, murder trial kicks off for third time

HAMMOND | The armed robbery and murder trial of two Hammond men accused of killing a 73-year-old gun shop owner for firearms to boost their drug trafficking status kicked off Wednesday.

Embezzlement case involving Lake prosecutor's niece now in feds' hands

Embezzlement allegations involving Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter's niece now will be handled by the federal government.

Prosecutors say Philpot case should stay in Indiana courts

HAMMOND | Prosecutors in the federal fraud case against Lake County Coroner Thomas Philpot say the case should not be moved to Illinois, according to a motion filed Monday afternoon.

Hobart soldier gets surprise welcome home

HOBART| The gloomy weather didn't rain on one Hobart soldier's parade, as veterans, family and friends surprised him with a welcome home celebration Saturday.

Armed robbery, murder case to enter third trial possibly Thursday

HAMMOND | After a judge declared a mistrial Tuesday afternoon, the 12-year-old case of two Hammond men charged in the armed robbery and murder of a 73-year-old will enter into its third trial later this week.

59-year-old man indicted in robbery of Hammond bank

HAMMOND | A grand jury indicted a 59-year-old sex offender Wednesday in the armed robbery of a Hammond bank.

Girl's parents say Facebook comments scared daughter

HAMMOND | While the American Civil Liberties Union is claiming three teenagers' Facebook posts about killing people from their middle school were a joke, some parents said they aren't laughing.

ACLU: 3 Griffith girls expelled over Facebook jokes

HAMMOND | The American Civil Liberties Union is suing Griffith Public Schools after it expelled three eighth-graders for posting on Facebook about whom they would kill — a conversation the ACLU and parents say was sarcastic humor.

East Chicago settles retaliation and discrimination lawsuit

HAMMOND | An undisclosed settlement has been reached in the discrimination and retaliation case of a former East Chicago employee who sued the city, its former mayor and human services director.

Crown Point man changes plea to guilty in $1.4 million food stamp fraud scheme

HAMMOND | A Crown Point man whose Gary restaurant and mini mart food stamp scheme netted an estimated $1.4 million changed his plea to guilty in federal court Monday afternoon.

15 indicted in fraud scheme that netted $8.7 million in 3 states

CHICAGO| A Sauk Village man and 14 co-defendants have been indicted on allegations they siphoned about $8.7 million from Indiana, Illinois and Minnesota unemployment insurance companies, according to a government news release.

Recently indicted alleged Imperial Gangster held without bond

HAMMOND | A federal judge ordered that another alleged Imperial Gangster accused of murder be held without bond pending a massive racketeering trial for about a dozen defendants.

S'ville woman charged with embezzling $178,900 from C.P. title company

HAMMOND | A former accounting manager for a Crown Point title insurance company has been indicted for allegedly embezzling more than $170,000 from her former employer.

Calumet City man accused of robbing Hammond bank

HAMMOND | A Calumet City sex offender has been arrested as a suspect in the armed robbery of a Hammond bank after probation officers recognized his image in media reports.