Law and Order Porter County
June 22, 2012 10:04AM
VALPARAISO
Overheated porch may have started fire
Hours of direct sunlight on a porch heated the composite material to the point that it ignited the mulch lying against it, according to the police report about a fire at about 5:45 p.m. Wednesday in the 4300 block of Bedford Road.
The owner told police a passing motorist alerted her to flames under the front porch, and she and her grandson put out the fire with a garden hose. The damage is estimated at $1,000.
LaPorte escapee
arrested at hospital
A LaPorte woman facing robbery and escape charges was arrested, on a LaPorte County warrant, at about 2 a.m. Thursday while being treated at the Porter hospital emergency room. Jacqueline Hanrath, 28, had sought treatment for an injury to her arm.
Target employee
admits stealing cash
A Target employee was arrested for felony theft at about 1:40 p.m. Wednesday. Lisa Brown-Hewlett, 52, of Westville, admitted stealing $690 from her register since April, police said. She reportedly took amounts of $40 to $100 at a time on 10 separate occasions, including just prior to her arrest.
PORTAGE
Man pushes woman holding baby
Randy Green, 31, was arrested for felony domestic battery and misdemeanor disorderly conduct for allegedly pushing his 34-year-old wife and spitting in her face as she held a 6-month-old child. Shortly before the battery took place at about 7:10 p.m. Tuesday outside their home, in the 3300 block of Oakwood, Green punched holes in the wall and destroyed his guitar, according to the police report.
PORTER COUNTY
Foreclosed house’s contents dumped
A company hired to clean out a foreclosed house is accused of dumping its trash and furniture on private property in the 200 block of west County Road 1050N. The owner of the wooded property in Liberty Township reported the illegal dumping to police Tuesday afternoon, after searching through the trash and finding an address. The corporation that owns the vacant house will follow up with the unnamed suspect, police said.
Man leaves crash, sleeps in nearby van
Jonathan Lopez, 23, of Portage, will be charged with leaving the scene of a crash and drunken driving, both misdemeanors, after reportedly sideswiping a guard rail on Indiana 149 at about 3:55 a.m. Wednesday, police said, then abandoning his red 1995 Chevrolet Camaro. At about 6:10 a.m., a resident of the 400 block of north County Road 250W found Lopez, whom she did not know, sleeping in her vehicle but chose not to pursue trespass charges. He was taken to Porter hospital in Valparaiso.
LAKES OF THE FOUR SEASONS
Woman seen leaving site of $15,000 jewelry theft
A dark-haired woman in her mid-20s may have stolen $15,000 worth of jewelry during daylight hours Wednesday, from a home in the 1900 block of Loganberry Lane. She also may have come in contact with poison ivy while going over the backyard fence. After the homeowner discovered the theft at about 7 p.m., a neighbor told police she saw a woman, with shoulder-length hair and carrying a purse, jumpthe fence to get out off the victim’s backyard at about 4 p.m.
The stolen jewelry included diamonds, rubies, black coral and gold, all of which had been photographed for insurance.
SHOREWOOD FOREST
Men steal liquor from acquaintance’s back deck
Three young men were arrested for felony theft after allegedly stealing alcohol from a backyard deck owned by the parents of a man with whom they used to go to high school.
Augusto Bichalho-Vives, 20, of Shorewood Forest, and Adam Morrey, 19, of Hobart, were captured on surveillance video stealing beer, wine and hard liquor at about 4:25 a.m. Wednesday in the 400 block of Wexford Road, police said. They told officers that Joe Jessen, 19, of Shorewood Forest, drove the boat that took them across Lake Louis to and from the home.
Bichalho-Vives also was charged with underage drinking.
