Indiana man accused of stealing, selling railroad bridge
He asked, they told him no, but he did it anyway, authorities say, accusing a scrap-metal dealer of taking apart an abandoned railroad bridge and selling the metal for $18,000.
Lake County
Articles
East Chicago homeowners sue companies over lead, arsenic
Thirty-eight homeowners in East Chicago have filed a lawsuit claiming the lead and arsenic contamination caused by former manufacturing operations near their neighborhood have decreased the value of their homes and inflicted emotional distress.
Supreme Court to hear legal malpractice, marijuana cases
The fate of a legal malpractice claim will be decided by the Indiana Supreme Court next week after the justices hear oral arguments to decide whether the claim can continue. Justices also will hear a case challenging the probable cause that led to a man’s conviction after discovery of a marijuana grow.
COA reinstates suit delayed due to lawyer’s ‘abdication’
Despite an almost two-year span with no action on a car-crash complaint, the Indiana Court of Appeals has ruled the plaintiff may move forward with the suit because the unique facts of the case do not warrant dismissal for failure to prosecute.
Secession effort renewed by some Griffith residents
Some residents of Griffith in northwestern Indiana’s Lake County want their community to secede from the township it’s located within.
Prosecutor: No charges after police shooting near Chicago
An Indiana prosecutor has determined that police officers acted in self-defense in the fatal shooting of a suspected car thief following a chase in an Indiana suburb of Chicago.
Murder conviction affirmed after judge recusal appeal
A man who murdered a friend and shot and wounded another lost his appeal that argued the jurist who rejected his guilty plea then presided over his murder trial wrongly denied a motion for a new judge.
COA rejects town’s request to annex territory for possible property development
The Indiana Court of Appeals has ruled against a northern Indiana lakefront town seeking to annex roughly 2,800 acres for “potential” economic development, finding the town failed to prove the annexation was needed and could be used for development.
Justices to decide whether malpractice claim against law firm can proceed
A northern Indiana law firm will have another opportunity to prevent a malpractice claim against it from moving forward after the Indiana Supreme Court granted transfer to the case in which the Indiana Court of Appeals reversed summary judgment for the firm.
Two Lake County events spotlight domestic violence
Domestic violence will be the subject of two events being held this week in northwest Indiana to raise awareness about violence between spouses and intimate partners.
Doctor must face civil trial in 2013 Lake County Jail death
A physician must face trial on a federal lawsuit alleging he was deliberately indifferent to the physical and mental illnesses of a man who died in 2013 after spending nearly four months in the Lake County Jail awaiting trial.
NAACP asserts new state laws disenfranchise Indiana voters
Within two weeks, the state of Indiana got hit with two lawsuits challenging new voter laws which the plaintiffs say are disenfranchising Hoosiers at the polls.
After Lake sheriff’s conviction, police chief takes over
The chief of the Lake County Sheriff’s Department says he’s working toward a smooth transition of power after the corruption conviction and removal from office of former Sheriff John Buncich.
Federal jury convicts Lake County sheriff in bribery case
A northwestern Indiana sheriff has been found guilty in a fraud and bribery trial involving an illegal towing scheme.
Lake County sheriff’s wire fraud, bribery case goes to jury
Jurors in northwest Indiana have started deliberations in the trial of a county sheriff accused of soliciting bribes in an illegal towing scheme.
Lake sheriff denies wrongdoing in federal bribery trial
A northwestern Indiana sheriff on trial for federal bribery charges is blaming sloppy bookkeeping for $7,500 he received from a towing company operator not showing up in his political campaign account.
NAACP sues Indiana, alleges law targets black, Latino voters
The NAACP is suing Indiana officials to block a new state law that the civil rights group says would discriminate against black and Latino voters in heavily populated Lake County by consolidating voting precincts.
Sheriff’s lawyer tells jurors FBI invented bribery case
A lawyer for a northwestern Indiana sheriff on trial for federal bribery charges told jurors that the FBI tried to buy a crime where one didn’t exist.
Jury awards $375K to woman alleging officer assaulted her
A U.S. District Court jury has awarded $375,000 to a Lake County woman who accused a police officer of sexually assaulting her.
Lake County courts increase probate availability
The judges of the circuit and superior courts in Lake County are seeking to improve the availability and efficiency of the county’s probate court services by offering increased availability of probate commissioners in one central location.