Law and Order Lake County

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Schererville

Robber pepper-sprayed employee

Robbery, battery, resisting law enforcement and theft charges have been filed in Lake Superior Court against a Hammond man accused of using chemical spray to steal about $300 worth of small electronics items.

Sean Michael Pinson, 32, of the 6500 block of Marshall Avenue, is charged in a Feb. 2 incident in which he sprayed a store employee with chemical spray as he made his way out of the store with three MP3 players and three hands-free cell phone headsets. None of the items was recovered.

After fleeing the store at U.S. 30 and U.S. 41, Pinson led police on a pursuit and eluded authorities. The employee gave police the car’s make and license plate number, and officers spoke to the man’s mother, who said Pinson had taken her car earlier in the day and hadn’t returned it.

The charges are punishable by a maximum 20-year sentence.