Dyer bank robbed Saturday morning

DYER — A bandit made off with an unspecified amount of cash after robbing the TCF Bank inside the Jewel Food Store at 805 Joliet St. about 10 a.m. Saturday. Dyer Police said the man entered the bank branch and implied he had a weapon …

Phony cops make stop on Borman

Police are urging motorists to use caution after a woman was stopped on Interstate 80/94 by two men pretending to be state police officers. Sgt. Ann Wojas, public information officer for the Indiana State Police, said the 28-year-old woman was stopped between 9:30 and 9:45 …

Gary Diocese sees compromise as ‘step in the right direction’

Catholic leaders, including Bishop of Gary Dale Melczek, were highly critical of a new federal rule that would require all employers to offer free contraception coverage on their health care plans, but a compromise offered Friday by President Barack Obama may help to quell the …

Chicago man admits kidnapping East Chicagoan

A Chicago man will plead guilty to kidnapping an East Chicago man for ransom a year ago, according to a plea agreement filed Friday in the U.S. District Court in Hammond. Jesus Ramirez, 42, and Jose Montoya, 39, of Summit, Ill., were accused of going …

Former charter school basketball coach charged with sexual misconduct

The former girls basketball coach at a Gary charter school has been charged with two counts of sexual misconduct with a minor, two counts of child seduction, criminal confinement and misdemeanor battery. Brennen Deon Heffner, 25, of the 1900 block of Jefferson Street, Gary, was …

Dobis will retire after 42 years in state House

After 42 years in the Indiana House, state Rep. Chet Dobis, D-Merrillville, has decided not to run for re-election. Dobis did not file by the noon deadline Friday, according to House Democrats spokesman John Schorg. He will not release a statement on his decision, Schorg …

Gary nightclub manager acquitted of charges

GARY — A six-member jury deliberated less than 30 minutes before deciding Gary nightclub manager Russell Thomas was not guilty of disorderly conduct. Thomas, 61, of Gary, manager of Prestige, was charged Dec. 22, 2010, after police stopped him in his truck on Broadway while …

Hammond man convicted of reckless homicide

A Lake Superior Court jury deliberated about seven hours before convicting a Hammond man of reckless homicide in a 2011 Hammond stabbing. Benito Lesiak, 57, faces a maximum eight-year sentence for the death of Scott Philips, 44, at their residence in the 1200 block of …

Rolling steel coil damages cars in I-65 mishap

MERRILLVILLE — A six-vehicle crash on I-65 snarled the end of southbound rush-hour travel but produced no injuries.

A southbound passenger vehicle on I-65 exiting off the US 30 ramp came up on backed-up traffic on the ramp, the Indiana State Police reported late Thursday …

Charges formally filed against Gary cop for battery

Gary Patrolman Terry Peck was formally charged Thursday with misdemeanor battery for allegedly assaulting a customer at the St. John VFW last week. Peck, 36, of Wheatfield, a six-year veteran of the Gary Police Department, faces up to one year in jail if convicted of …

Merrillville council spreads legal work to five attorneys

MERRILLVILLE — The Town Council voted Thursday to replace its former town attorney with five attorneys from five law firms in what it hopes will be a cost-saving move. “We decided to spread it out, to try something new,” Council President Shawn Pettit, D-6th, said …

Another Latin Kings member pleads guilty in murder, drug conspiracy

HAMMOND — A Posen, Ill., man, during a hearing Thursday in U.S. District Court, admitted to his role in two 2007 murders outside a Griffith restaurant, possessing large quantities of drugs to distribute and participating in criminal activities with the Latin Kings gang. In a …

Illinois man admits dealing heroin

An Illinois man is pleading guilty to conspiracy to trafficking more than one kilogram of heroin in a federal drug case that has just been unsealed. According to a plea agreement filed Monday in the U.S. District Court in Hammond and unsealed with the entire …

Law and Order Lake County

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, …

Foreclosures down in 2011

A national foreclosure report released Wednesday said foreclosures were down in 2011 compared to 2010, and those involved with the real estate market here agree things are improving. Indiana ranked 11th in the nation when it came to its inventory of foreclosed homes and its …