A LaPorte man faces felony charges after an alleged meth lab in his apartment caught fire. The LaPorte Fire Department responded to the Country Acres apartment complex around 5 p.m. Wednesday evening, according to a sheriff’s department news release. Continue reading
A meth lab explosion is to blame for a Friday morning structure fire in LaPorte, according to authorities there. The LaPorte Police and Fire Departments responded just before 2 a.m. to a house fire at 1408 Scott Street and found the structure fully engulfed. Continue reading
The Sunday morning fire at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles branch in LaPorte was ruled undetermined.
LaPorte Fire Chief Andy Snyder told WKVI News that there were a couple of sources where the fire started that could point to an electrical issue. The fire caused extensive damage to two rooms in the BMV office.
The BMV office shares building space with a video store and a restaurant. The fire was contained to the BMV.
Authorities in LaPorte believe a Sunday night fire at a McClung Street residence was deliberately set. The LaPorte Police and Fire Departments responded just before 8 p.m. to a home at 159 W. McClung Road, Apt. A and found the structure in flames. Continue reading
A Thursday night fire at a LaPorte home was deliberately set, according to authorities. LaPorte Police and Fire responded to the residence in the 200 block of Cable Street at 9:18 p.m., according to a news release. The occupant said he was in the living room, heard a “splashing” noise, saw a moving light source and the bathroom burst into flames. Continue reading
A fire last Thursday in LaPorte was deliberately set, according to investigators. LaPorte Police and Fire were called to 325 Rockwood Street at 4:38 p.m. on April 24. No injuries were reported, but the exterior of the home was damaged and the interior was filled with smoke. Investigators determined two large trash cans outside the house had been set on fire. The investigation is continuing, and anyone with information is asked to contact the La Porte Police Department at 362-9446, or at www.lpcitypd.com. You can remain anonymous.
The end of daylight saving time is Sunday at 2 a.m. local time. Be sure to turn your clock back one hour at that time or before you go to bed Saturday night. In addition, you must set an alarm clock to ensure that you wake up on time the next morning to complete the tasks you need to do.
It’s also a good time to check the batteries in your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. According to the National Fire Protection Association, almost two-thirds of home fire deaths resulted from fires in properties without working smoke alarms. A working smoke alarm significantly increases your chances of surviving a deadly home fire.
The LaPorte Fire Department battled a structure fire Sunday afternoon.
Around 2:09 p.m., LaPorte police were called to 810 Madison St. after a caller reported the fire. Officers observed black smoke from from the upstairs apartment windows and entered the apartment to check for residents. No one was inside and flames were seen on the door.
The residents returned home while the fire department was extinguishing the blaze. They told police and firefighters that they had left the home 20 minutes prior to the call and nothing was wrong at the time.
No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
A witness told police he was awakened by a strong smell of smoke and got up to investigate. He went out to the front of the building and saw smoke and flames coming from the apartment below his.
When police arrived on the scene, smoke and flames were visible hear the floor area of the bottom apartment.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
There’s more to the story of an accident that killed two people on I-94 in LaPorte County this morning.
LaPorte County Coroner John Sullivan told WKVI that one victim in the accident, 38-year-old Michael Van Der Linden of Belleville, Michigan was driving the wrong way on I-94 and hit a vehicle driven by 45-year-old Juan Nelson of Portage. The impact caused a fire that consumed both vehicles and left the bodies burned beyond recognition. Sullivan said the cause of death for both victims was blunt force trauma and thermal burns.
As Belleville, Michigan police attempted to notify the family of Michael Van Der Linden of the fatal accident, they observed the door to the family’s home open. When police entered the residence, they found that every member of Michael Van Der Linden’s family were murdered. His wife and children were found stabbed.
Investigators now are trying to piece together why Van Der Linden was in LaPorte County and if he is the suspect in the murder.
A LaPorte man was killed in a Toll Road accident late last night.
Ryan Joseph Smith, 20, of LaPorte was northbound on Holmsville Road in LaPorte County when for unknown reasons, he drove off the overpass. His vehicle went airborne and struck a semi pulling a box trailer on Interstate 80. Smith’s vehicle then rolled multiple times through the median. Smith was ejected from the vehicle. The vehicle continued into the westbound lanes where it struck another semi.
DNR officials are warning you about walking on ice. A LaPorte man was rescued Sunday after falling through the ice on Clear Lake. LaPorte Fire Department officials found the man in water about eight feet deep.
Firefighters wearing proper cold suits went into the water and tied a line to the man. He was pulled to safety onto a floating sled.
LaPorte City Police Department officers are investigating a stabbing incident that occurred in the 900 block of Pennsylvania Avenue in LaPorte. When officers arrived on scene, a 23-year-old female, a 55-year-old female and a 63-year-old female inside were all suffering from stab wounds.
Anthony Ferris was quickly apprehended by a K9 unit after attempting to flee from the LaPorte County Security Complex, Wednesday.
Ferris was arrested Tuesday night on a charge of Domestic Battery, a Class D Felony, and a Probation Violation warrant out of Starke County. He had been physically combative and uncooperative the entire night Tuesday and had been placed in an isolation cell for his own safety and the safety of the jail staff. Wednesday morning, Ferris asked for permission to use bathroom facilities in the isolation cell and when he didn’t come back into camera view, it was discovered that Ferris had somehow opened a secure vent in the ceiling area and escaped his cell into the pipe chase area.
