Another man is facing a murder charge in the 1980 shooting death of an off-duty northwestern Indiana police officer. A 68-year-old man released this summer from an Illinois prison sentence has been charged in the slaying of Hammond officer Lawrence Pucalik.
A federal judge has denied a northwestern Indiana scrap metal dealer’s request to dismiss charges for allegedly demolishing a historic Hammond railroad bridge and selling the metal for $18,000. Kenneth Morrison argued the grand jury didn’t get an accurate picture of whether the city of Hammond or the railroad company owned the Monon Bridge, but Judge Philip Simon said prosecutors only have to prove Morrison had no claim to the scrap metal.
A northwestern Indiana man is accused of killing his 80-year-old father, who was found mortally wounded in his bathtub.
Interviews with 19 applicants for the Lake Superior Court opening left by the resignation of Judge Jesse M. Villalpando are scheduled to take place next month over a two-day period.
The Lake County Judicial Nominating Commission will begin conducting interviews to fill an upcoming vacancy in the Lake Superior Court left by Judge Jesse M. Villalpando, following his decision to not seek retention earlier this year.
A northwestern Indiana sheriff’s department says it can’t account for more than $7,600 missing from one of its divisions. Lake County Police Chief William said the county Sheriff’s Department can’t account for the money that an audit by the State Board of Accounts found missing from its Civil Division last year.
A jury has acquitted a northwestern Indiana man who authorities say stole two dogs that belonged to a woman he formerly dated and killed them. A jury on Wednesday cleared 24-year-old Anthony Priestas of two felony counts of killing a domestic animal.
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has overturned summary judgment for a former Lake County sheriff sued after a local woman alleged a sheriff’s deputy sexually assaulted her while in her home, with the court finding the woman’s respondeat superior claim against the sheriff can proceed.
The Indiana Supreme Court has accepted the resignation of a Hoosier attorney who faced multiple felony drunken-driving counts. Justices also ordered reciprocal discipline for another lawyer who was removed from the practice of law by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
A Merrillville woman who told police she “watched the love of her life commit suicide” now faces a murder charge alleging that she killed her boyfriend and staged his death as a suicide.
A Gary man is accused of harboring a suspect in a gang-related shooting that wounded a man and his 9-year-old son outside a store. Prosecutors allege Tyrone L. Jackson, Jr., allowed Alex C. Hughes to hide in his Gary house for more than a week, despite knowing Hughes was wanted for his role in the Sept. 30 shooting.
A trial court miscalculated the impact of a Merrillville lawyer’s $3.4 million legal fee in a personal injury case on his child support obligation, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Friday.
Lake County has agreed to pay $185,000 to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit filed against the northwestern Indiana county’s recorder. Taxpayers will finance the payment to Estela Montalvo, the former part-time recorder’s office employee who sued recorder Michael B. Brown and the county in federal court last year, alleging sexual harassment.
The Lake County Judicial Nominating Commission is now accepting applications to fill an upcoming vacancy in the Lake Superior Court. Applications will be accepted till Nov. 5 to replace outgoing Judge Jesse M. Villalpando.
The Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed the grant of summary judgment to a town in an eminent domain action when it found the land was neither real property occupied by an owner nor agricultural land, so the previous owners were not entitled to receive enhanced compensation.
E-filing is now mandatory in Warrick County, with just four more counties remaining to implement the online filing system.
The former Gary Community Schools superintendent has been charged with double-billing the district for about $1,200 in expenses. Lake County prosecutors filed felony theft and official misconduct charges on Friday against Cheryl Pruitt, who resigned as superintendent in February after a state-appointed emergency manager took over the district as it faced more than $100 million in debt.
There are many adjectives friends and colleagues used to describe Elizabeth Tavitas, the newest Indiana Court of Appeals judge, when they gathered to celebrate her ceremonial robing on Monday. But as each speaker described their unique experiences with Tavitas, there was a common theme running through each set of remarks: service.
A judge pro tempore has been appointed to perform the duties of Lake Superior Court judge Jesse M. Villalpando, whose name was recently removed from the Nov. 6 general election ballot. A Friday order announced the Lake Superior Court judge will take leave from the bench beginning today and will remain on leave for the duration of his elected term, while attorney Stephen A. Tyler will serve in his place as judge pro tem.
Newest Indiana Court of Appeals Judge Elizabeth F. Tavitas will be ceremonially sworn into office next week when the court hosts a public robing ceremony.