Law and Order Gary
July 26, 2012 3:50PM
Updated: July 26, 2012 3:54PM
GARY
Man’s burned body is identified
A man found burned in a vacant lot Tuesday morning in Aetna has been identified as Lester Taylor, 60, 3813 E. 13th Ave.
A resident in the 4200 block of E. 10th Avenue saw the charred remains of a man in a lot next to her home.
Investigators believe Taylor suffered head trauma before he was set on fire and died. Police said he had been in an argument Monday night or early Tuesday.
Detective Cpl. Jeff Hornyak is investigating the death. Anyone with information can call him at 881-7514.
500 pounds of pot found in van
A traffic stop led to the arrest of an Oak Lawn, Ill., man who has been charged in Lake Superior Court with dealing in marijuana.
Gary police recovered an estimated 500 pounds of marijuana in a van driven by Omar Salvador Gonzalez-Gomez, 37, after seeing the van turn from Chicago Avenue onto the southbound entrance ramp of Cline Avenue without signaling, cutting off other vehicles.
Gonzalez-Gomez was breathing heavily and sweating when Gary police Cpl. John Artibey walked up. The driver, who is unlicensed, told police he didn’t know who owned the van but said it was not his and that he had been paid by a “guy” from the city to drive it on July 20.
Artibey’s K-9 partner, Loki, alerted to the presence of marijuana, which officers could smell from the rear of the van. When they opened the back, they found van was loaded with 50 plastic-wrapped bundles, each weighing more than 10 pounds, the probable cause affidavit states.
The charges, which also include possession of marijuana and operating a vehicle by an unlicensed driver, are punishable by a maximum eight-year sentence.
Carjack suspect hides in crawlspace
Police located a carjacking suspect hiding in a crawlspace shortly after a woman reported her car was taken from her at gunpoint.
Patrolman Jason Johnson obtained a description of the car from the victim and Patrolmen Calvin Taylor and James Sheets located the car in the 4900 block of Delaware Street Tuesday night.
They searched 4951 Delaware St. and found Lavara D. Blanchard, 26, and a juvenile hiding in the crawlspace. They recovered the victim’s cell phone and other items.
Detective Cpl. William Clouse presented evidence Thursday to prosecutors, resulting in carjacking, robbery and auto theft charges against Blanchard.
A traffic stop led to the arrest of an Oak Lawn, Ill., man who has been charged in Lake Superior Court with dealing in marijuana.
Gary police recovered an estimated 500 pounds of marijuana in a van driven by Omar Salvador Gonzalez-Gomez, 37, after seeing the van turn from Chicago Avenue onto the southbound entrance ramp of Cline Avenue without signaling, cutting off other vehicles.
Gonzalez-Gomez was breathing heavily and sweating when Gary police Cpl. John Artibey walked up. The driver, who is unlicensed, told police he didn’t know who owned the van but said it was not his and that he had been paid by a “guy” from the city to drive it on July 20.
Artibey’s K-9 partner, Loki, alerted to the presence of marijuana, which officers could smell from the rear of the van. When they opened the back, they found van was loaded with 50 plastic-wrapped bundles, each weighing more than 10 pounds, the probable cause affidavit states.
The charges, which also include possession of marijuana and operating a vehicle by an unlicensed driver, are punishable by a maximum eight-year sentence.
Lake Station man shot in Miller
A 21-year-old Lake Station man was shot multiple times as he walked in Miller early Thursday.
Rafael Peluyera Jr. was in the 6100 block of E. 6th Place about 12:30 a.m. when he was shot, police said.
Peluyera was flown to a Chicago hospital for treatment.
Sgt. Larry Robertson is investigating the shooting. Anyone with information can call him at 881-7545.
Teen wounded in Aetna area
Devonne Tyler, 17, of Gary, was wounded early Thursday while he was in the 5800 block of E. 13th Ave. in Aetna, police spokeswoman Cpl. Gabrielle King said.
He was taken to The Methodist Hospitals Northlake campus for treatment.
