The victim told LaPorte police that she recently received notification that the PIN for her Indiana Child Support VISA card had been changed. She did not initiate the change. She also found three separate charges to her account in the amount of $393. All of the transactions were made in Elm Hornchurch, London, England.
According to witness accounts, LaPorte police learned that a man driving a white van jumped a concrete parking stop, ran over the sidewalk and struck the front store windows causing damage.
According to the report, on Saturday, Dec. 28 at around 6:33 p.m., LaPorte police responded to the area of Maple Tree Apartments at 1405 W. 18th St. in response to a request from Michigan City Police to be on the lookout for a red Dodge pickup truck that was involved in a hit-and-run accident in their area.
On Wednesday, LaPorte police were responding to a noise complaint when they saw a Chevy Blazer disabled in the snow in front of Red Carpet Liquors. When officers turned around to check the vehicle, the driver was attempting to dislodge the stuck vehicle but was only spinning the vehicle’s tires in the snow. As officers approached the vehicle, the driver, later identified as a 15-year-old male, ran from the vehicle and police gave chase. A perimeter was set and the suspect was located inside Soldier’s Memorial Park and taken into custody.
According to the report, the victim told police she heard a loud noise and the power went out. Shortly afterward, the victim said her children alerted her to a fire in the basement. She went to investigate and said she saw flames coming from the breaker panel and immediately called 911. The family was able to exit the home safely with no reported injuries.
The fire remains under investigation.
The Safe Family Travel Operation Pull Over Blitz 77 was a success in LaPorte as officers issued 227 citations to vehicle operators in the three-week enforcement.
The LaPorte City Police officers joined more than 250 law enforcement agencies across the state to conduct impaired driving and seat belt patrols. This was to rid roadways of drunk drivers and unrestrained motorists during the Thanksgiving holiday season.
LaPorte City Police Department officers responded to a call of shots fired on Friday and all people at the scene denied any knowledge of the action, despite the location of the gun and spent casings found at the scene.
When officers arrived at 1083 E. State Road 2 near lot #806, two men standing outside ran into the home while one man stayed outside. Officers asked the man if he had heard any gunshots and he said that he hadn’t.
Friends of the woman told police she had used heroin earlier and that they found her lying unconscious in the bathroom. They then called EMS and another friend.
The woman confirmed to EMS personnel that she had used heroin that night. She refused further medical treatment at the scene.
The fire occurred on Tuesday, Nov. 12. Police and firefighters responded to the scene where a vacant home was found to be fully engulfed in flames. No injuries were reported at the scene and the fire remains under investigation.
If you know anything about this incident, or have any criminal or suspicious activity to report, call the LaPorte City Police Department at (219) 362-9446. You may also submit an anonymous crime tip online at www.lpcitypd.com.
LaPorte police are attempting to apprehend two women who are stealing cartons of cigarettes from gas stations.
A woman went into the Marathon gas station on State Road 2 in LaPorte County and requested two cartons of cigarettes. The clerk placed the cartons on the counter to ring them up, but the suspect grabbed them and ran out of the store.
Officers from the LaPorte City Police Department are investigating a case involving possible elder neglect.
Police responded to the home in the 1600 block of Ohio Street three times within six days after receiving requests to check on an elderly woman who resides at a home with her adult grandson.
When the police and Adult Protective Services responded the first time, they found that the NIPSCO meter to the home was locked and was not running. There was no heat or electricity provided to the home. Investigators later spoke with the grandson who stated that he didn’t have the money to pay utilities and the heat and electricity had been turned off for the past two months. When officers checked the residence, very little food was found inside the residence. The suspect told officers they ate out a lot of the time and didn’t keep much food in the house.
Police in LaPorte are looking into a weekend break-in at Applied Industrial Technologies. Business representatives called the police Monday morning and advised someone entered the office sometime between 5:15 Friday night and 7:30 Monday morning. Various Makita power hand tools, a cash drawer and an envelope were all taken. The total value of the lost items is estimated at $6,900. Anyone with information about the theft is asked to call the LaPorte Police Department at (219) 362-9446 or visit www.lpcitypd.com to submit a crime tip.
LaPorte Police are searching for a man and a woman they say are responsible for the theft of rings valued at $5,500 from a jewelry store there on Monday afternoon. Staff at Engrstrom Jewelers called the police when they noticed a tray of sapphire rings missing. Security footage from the store shows a black male reaching over the display counter, removing the tray and concealing it. Store employees say the man came in around 2:50 Monday afternoon with a black woman who asked to be sized for a bracelet. The theft happened when the store staff was retrieving supplies to do so. When they came back out the couple reportedly left hastily, saying their car was done being repaired and they were only window shopping. The jewelry is described as blue sapphire gems set on both yellow and white gold bands. Store employees say the man and woman were both older and black with heavyset builds. Anyone with information about the heist is asked to call the LaPorte Police Department at (219) 362-9446, or at www.lpcitypd.com.
An officer with the LaPorte Police Department interrupted a theft in progress at LaPorte Blower early Wednesday morning after observing a white van near the scrap metal dumpsters and stopping to investigate. Joshua Bochik, 30, of Michigan City, reportedly told the officer he and a friend were removing scrap metal from the dumpsters because they needed the money. He claimed he didn’t realize the scrap belonged to New York Blower and told the officer he would put it all back. While the officer was talking to Bochik, George Byroad, 30, of Kouts, reportedly emerged from the second dumpster. Both were arrested on felony theft charges. The officer noted on the incident report that there was so much scrap metal in the back of the van that it was starting to bow in the middle from the weight.
