March 11--Pair charged with stealing rims, tires
A Valparaiso police officer on patrol late Sunday caught two men who were stealing $10,000 in rims and tires from GMC Yukon Denalis at a car dealership, according to a police report.
Russell Peoples, 32, of Indianapolis, and Couvoisiel Adams, 28, of the 1700 block of East 105th Street in Crown Point, are both charged with felony theft and misdemeanor trespassing.
Officer Chris Allison was on patrol at 11:40 p.m. Sunday when he saw a white U-Haul van behind Paul Sur Pontiac, 1551 Morthland Drive, and a short time later saw two men walking near the van, which had recently been driven through a grassy lot and was next to the car dealership.
According to a police report, the men gave conflicting reasons for why they were walking in the area, including going to a nearby fitness center that was open.
A police report said police found two Denalis that were missing all four rims and tires, which they located nearby. Police also were able to identify Adams from video footage from the dealership's outdoor surveillance camera, the report said.
Police transported Peoples and Adams to Porter County Jail.
35 years for man in 2012 home invasion
A second man involved in the August 2012 Porter County home invasion and high-speed chase down U.S. 30 in Hobart has been sentenced.
Michael Anthony Sprague, 28, of the 4400 block of Roosevelt Place in Gary, was sentenced Monday to 35 years in prison and another five years probation for his May 11 plea to the highest of three felonies against him, Class A felony aiding in a burglary.
Sprague's attorney, John Vouga, argued that because Sprague was the driver and had not gone into the home and beat the victim, Sprague should have a lesser sentence that the others involved.
The last person charged, Jordan A. Wilkerson, 27, of the of the 4000 block of Sheridan Road in Chicago, is set for a sentencing on May 2 and faces 20 to 50 years in prison for his Feb. 8 plea to Class A felony burglary and admitting to being the one who forced his way into the home.
Dominick Fazzini, 26, of the 32000 block of South Egyptian Trail Peotone, Ill., was sentenced to 35 years in prison and five years probation on June 2 for his plea to Class A felony burglary.
A fourth man, Shawn Patrick Michael Duffy of Crown Point, 24, committed suicide after a shootout with passing FBI agents near the Speedway gas station at U.S. 30 and Colorado Street in Hobart.
Driver fell asleep at traffic light: police
A Valparaiso man faces an assortment of charges related to drunken driving after police said he fell asleep at the wheel while he was stopped at an intersection.
Deputies with the Porter County Sheriff's Department were called around 11:30 a.m. Monday to the intersection of Indiana 149 and U.S. 6 in Portage Township to assist medics with the man.
An off-duty officer with the Portage Police Department who spotted the man told deputies John Maul, 51, of the 5400 block of Fourth Avenue, was asleep behind the wheel of his van at the intersection during a green light, according to a police report.
Maul woke up and went through the intersection after the light turned red, at which point the off-duty officer activated his emergency lights and pulled the van over on U.S. 6, the report said.
According to a police report, Maul allegedly told police he had more than 20 beers the previous night and wasn't sure if he was under the legal limit to drive, which is a blood-alcohol content of .08 percent
Police said Maul's blood-alcohol content was .218. He was transported to Porter County Jail on three misdemeanor charges related to drunken driving.
Grandfather arrested at Portage Township gas station
A Portage man who headed to a local gas station to pick up his grandchild when his daughter was arrested on a warrant ended up being arrested after police said he created a scene.
Hilary Manoski, 54, of the 6800 block of Portage Avenue, was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct March 4 and transported to Porter County Jail. The child was released to a relative.
Deputies with the Porter County Sheriff's Department said they stopped Camille Manoski, 24, of the same address, around 8:20 a.m. Friday at Speedway, 796 Indiana 149, in Portage Township, on an active Porter County warrant for failure to appear.
She then contacted her father, Hilary Manoski, to get her child because she was being transported to Porter County Jail.
Police said Hilary Manoski began yelling at police when he arrived at the gas station about his daughter's arrest, and several customers stopped to watch the commotion, according to a police report.
Police said Hilary Manoski continued to carry on after they repeatedly asked him to quiet down and refused to obey their commands even after they drew a stun gun.
Police investigate stray bullet that hit garage
Deputies with the Porter County Sheriff's Department are investigating a report of a bullet that went through the wall of a Boone Township garage and broke jars sitting on a shelf.
Police were called shortly after 5:30 p.m. Friday to a home in the 500 West block of County Road 650 South by a homeowner who said he and his family had just walked into the home when a family member heard glass breaking.
He found broken jars from a shelf in the garage and found a hole in the wall where the jars had been located. Outside, he found a hole in his screen porch as well as in the siding where the jars were located.
He told police he can hear nearby neighbors shooting and there is a flock of geese that live in a nearby field, and he believes a stray bullet may have caused the damage.
Car parts reported stolen
A Porter man told police three packages containing car parts worth more than $3,500 were stolen from outside his residence Tuesday.
The man, 29, of the 700 block of North River Drive, told Porter police he got home from work around 2:35 p.m. and took a nap. When he awoke at 7:30 p.m. and checked for the packages, they weren't there, though according to the tracking number, UPS delivered the packages around 3:30 p.m.
The man contacted Summit Racing, the vendor, around 9 p.m. and their records showed the packages had been delivered. The total amount of the order was $3,581.89.
Woman jailed after giving police false name
A Hammond woman faces felony charge for identity deception and a misdemeanor charge of driving while suspended after police said she tried to pass off someone else's identification during a routine traffic stop.
Around 5:10 p.m. Wednesday, deputies with the Porter County Sheriff's Department pulled over Dorothy Allen, 24, of the 1000 block of Cleveland Street, around the intersection of Indiana 249 and U.S. 20 in Portage because a records check showed Allen had a suspended driver's license.
Allen told police a passenger in her car was Dorothy Allen, and gave police a different name and birth date, according to a police report.
Police did another records check, which confirmed Allen's identity, and she confessed to police she had lied because her license was suspended, the report said.
Police transported Allen to Porter County Jail.
Woman faces alcohol-related charges
A Michigan City woman faces an assortment of charges related to drunken driving after police said they found her in a Pine Township park and she had a blood-alcohol content of .27 percent, more than three times the legal limit.
Sherawn Chappell, 40, was charged with four misdemeanors and taken to a local hospital for medical clearance before police transported her to Porter County Jail.
Around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, deputies with the Porter County Sheriff's Department said they found Chappell at Pines Park in her car even though the park closed at dusk.
Police said Chappell, who repeatedly stated, "I'm drunk, take me to jail," told them she'd consumed 12 beers and a few drinks of Fireball whiskey at a relative's house. Police found two nearly empty bottles of Fireball in Chappell's purse, the police report said.
