Former Lake Circuit Judge Paras dies at 70
Funeral services will be later this week for former Lake Circuit Judge George C. Paras, who died in Gary on Friday after an illness. He was 70.
Lake County
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Family of victims in Indiana cold case look to TV show for justice
Relatives of two pregnant sisters who were killed decades ago in northwestern Indiana are hoping a television program on the cold case will finally bring justice. The family of the sisters took the case to Lisette Guillen of “Case Files Chicago,” a program that highlights unsolved homicides, violent crimes and missing persons in and around Chicago.
Lake County JNC seeking applicants to succeed Tavitas
Applications are now being accepted to fill a vacancy on the Lake County Superior Court created when Judge Elizabeth F. Tavitas joined the Indiana Court of Appeals last month.
Private plaintiff taking public access case to SCOTUS?
After a years-long fight, the Indiana Supreme Court in February issued a ruling that affirmed what’s come naturally to generations of Hoosiers: Indiana’s beach on Lake Michigan belongs to the public.
But parties who sued to privatize the beach, whose names are the only plaintiffs listed on filings to the U.S. Supreme Court, don’t own the property. They haven’t for years.
Indiana man pleads not guilty in sons’ river drownings
The father of two Indiana boys who drowned in a river has pleaded not guilty to two counts of neglect of a dependent resulting in death. Eric Patillo, 34, Thayer, appeared Wednesday in Lake Superior Court.
Indiana father charged with neglect in sons’ drownings
The father of two Indiana boys who drowned in a river has been charged with felony neglect in their deaths after allegedly telling police he had used heroin before taking his sons to the waterway. Eric J. Patillo, 34, was indicted Thursday on two counts of neglect of a dependent resulting in death.
Justices remove Lake superior judge from retention ballot
The Indiana Supreme Court yanked a Lake Superior Court judge from the Nov. 6 retention ballot following his retirement announcement Friday that came after the court’s office of judicial administration requested a new judge be appointed due to alleged dereliction of duty.
Father of 2 boys who died in Indiana river may face charges
The father of two Indiana boys who died after being pulled from a river was acting strangely before his sons were found in the waterway and could face criminal charges in their deaths, a sheriff said Wednesday.
Landske pleads not guilty in shooting death of attorney Page
William "Bill" Landske, the husband of the late state Sen. Sue Landske, pleaded not guilty Monday to a murder charge stemming from allegations he fatally shot Lake County lawyer and family friend T. Edward Page in his Hobart home last week, the Times of Northwest Indiana reported.
Prosecutors cite ethics rules to Hill in abortion lawsuit
Three Indiana prosecutors are renewing their calls for Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill to concede on their behalf the merits of lawsuit that blocked a 2018 abortion law and told the AG's staff in an email that Hill is obligated under the Indiana Rules of Professional Conduct to follow their directive as his clients. Hill, however, maintains he is authorized to defend the statute on behalf of his "ultimate client:" the people of Indiana.
Report: Late senator Landske’s husband held in lawyer’s slaying
The husband of a late Indiana state senator is suspected of killing a Lake County lawyer who years earlier eulogized the lawmaker at her funeral, the Times of Northwest Indiana reported. The Times reported William “Bill” Landske, 83, was arrested on allegations that he fatally shot T. Edward Page at the attorney’s Hobart home.
Prosecutor: Hobart lawyer shot dead by client
Authorities say a northwestern Indiana attorney was fatally shot at his home by a client. Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter said Hobart police have arrested a suspect in the shooting death Wednesday morning of 64-year-old T. Edward Page.
Justices let wrongful death suit proceed against Munster Church
A wrongful death suit brought against a Munster church by the family of a babysitter who died at the home of the church’s pastors will proceed to trial after the Indiana Supreme Court denied transfer last week.
Gary woman jailed after fatal fire seeks mental health treatment
A Gary woman jailed on neglect charges after her two young children died in a March apartment building fire is seeking additional mental health treatment.
New COA judge Tavitas brings varied experience to appellate bench
Newly-minted Indiana Court of Appeals Judge Elizabeth Tavitas has done a little bit of everything throughout her legal career. She’s been a prosecutor, a public defender, a private practitioner, a referee, a trial court judge and now, a judge on the state’s second-highest court.
Judge pro tem appointed in Lake County; Tavitas to join COA
Senior judge Thomas W. Webber Sr., will serve as judge pro tem in Lake Superior Court, Civil Division 3, replacing Judge Elizabeth Tavitas upon her appointment to the Indiana Court of Appeals. Tavitas is scheduled to be sworn in on the appellate bench next week.
Munster doctor pleads guilty in overprescribing case
A Munster Indiana doctor accused of overprescribing painkillers has pleaded guilty to a federal drug charge. Dr. Jay K. Joshi pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court in Hammond to distribution of a controlled substance.
Lake Circuit asbestos abatement may alter proceedings
The main courtroom for Lake Circuit Court in Crown Point began a four-month asbestos abatement Monday that may change the location of some court dates, Circuit Judge Marissa McDermott announced in a letter to the bar. The courtroom — Room B-203 — will be under construction, which may affect the proceedings of the Lake Circuit and probate courts
Family questions use of force in arrest of teen at festival
The family of a 15-year-old boy who was arrested at a festival in Hammond says officers used excessive force by restraining the teen on the ground and placing their knees on his back. Hammond police, however, say they did nothing wrong in arresting the boy Wednesday for disorderly conduct while breaking up a fight between two girls at the Festival of the Lakes.
Pierogi festivals settle over trademark dispute
A northwestern Indiana city that hosts an annual festival built around a popular Polish delicacy has reached a settlement in its trademark dispute with a rival festival in Pennsylvania. Since 2014 the Edwardsville Hometown Committee has run the Pennsylvania festival dedicated to the potato-filled dumplings, abundant in a region whose coal mines drew Polish immigrants more than a century ago, while Whiting, Indiana, has hosted Pierogi Fest since 1995.