Law and Order Lake County

• Reprints

Updated: March 11, 2012 8:48AM

Griffith

Cops find man had pot, pills in car

A Griffith man has been charged in Lake Superior Court with two counts of possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor possession of marijuana.

Kyle Timothy Hitt, 24, of the 900 block of North Indiana Street, was sitting in a car with three other people shortly before 10 p.m. Feb. 1 in the 500 block of West Pine Street and was still there when the officer returned through the neighborhood 45 minutes later.

The officer spoke to Hitt, the driver, and noticed a moderate odor of burnt marijuana from inside the car. When he asked if there was any marijuana in the car, Hitt retrieved a small amount of marijuana and some pills for which he had no prescriptions.

EAST CHICAGO

Becker hired as
new police chief

Former Portage Chief of Police Mark J. Becker will be sworn in as East Chicago’s chief on Friday.

Becker, who replaces Augusto “Gus” Flores, brings more than 32 years of experience with him, including work as a senior FBI agent.

Becker has extensive training in law enforcement and hopes to bring that level of professional experience to East Chicago. He is a strong advocate for continued law enforcement education, ethics training and hopes to raise the level of professionalism of the department to better serve residents.

The swearing-in ceremony will take place at noon Friday in the mayor’s office, 4527 Indianapolis Blvd.

Hammond

Free on bond, man held in 2nd burglary

A Hammond man who posted $6,000 cash bond in a Hammond burglary was charged in another Hammond burglary the day after he was freed.

Derek Joseph Scesney, 27, and co-defendant Kaitlynn Victoria Boswinkle, 18, of Hammond were charged in a Feb. 1 burglary which the homeowner interrupted at about 12:40 p.m. Feb. 1 in the 700 block of Magoun Avenue, Hammond.

Scesney was charged Thursday in a Feb. 3 burglary. Both cases are punishable by a sentence of six to 20 years.

In the Feb. 1 break-in, a Hammond police officer was about two blocks from the scene when the call came in. The officer spotted a silver or gray car parked in a driveway next to an alley at 169th Street and Magoun Avenue and saw it drive the wrong way in the 4900 block of Indianapolis Boulevard in the west alley. Police arrested Scesney and Boswinkle a short distance from the home.

Police found a pillowcase near a light pole where Scesney had been standing. Inside were three knives and a box of .45-caliber bullets. Outside the victim’s home police found a .45-caliber pistol in its holster in the grass. The owner discovered a pry bar on a chair near the bedroom window where the two escaped, the probable cause affidavit states.