America Today Staff 
Caleb Joseph VanOverloop, 23, of Cedar Lake, has been charged in Lake County with three counts of child molesting following an investigation involving multiple child victims. According to a probable cause affidavit filed January 20, 2026, investigators were assigned to examine reported child molesting incidents that allegedly occurred in Lake County between November 1, 2024, … Read more
Jerry Marcus Stokes, 42, of LaPorte, is facing multiple felony and misdemeanor charges after a pursuit involving a stolen vehicle in Porter County ended with him fleeing on foot and leaving two dogs inside a rolling vehicle near interstate traffic. According to court records, the incident occurred around 11:08 p.m. on January 20, 2026, along … Read more
Mikal Naeem Morocco, 24, of Gary, is facing several felony and misdemeanor charges following a vehicle pursuit that ended in a crash while a one-year-old child was inside the vehicle. According to a probable cause affidavit filed on January 20, 2026, the incident took place on January 17, 2026, around 12:16 p.m. near Ridge Road … Read more
A federal judge sentenced a Crown Point woman to seven years in prison on January 8, 2026, after she pleaded guilty to health care fraud and aggravated identity theft, according to U.S. Attorney Adam L. Mildred. Christine Reese, 62, received an 84-month prison sentence and was ordered to pay $268,746.37 in restitution. Court records show … Read more
Two people were injured and a family dog was safely rescued after a late-night house fire Monday in Crown Point, officials with the Crown Point Fire Department said. Lake County 911 received multiple calls around 9:21 p.m. reporting a residential fire with a possible entrapment in the 100 block of North Grant Street. Police officers … Read more
The city of Torrance is calling on Los Angeles County Metro Board members to reject a proposed extension of the Metro K Line along Hawthorne Boulevard, arguing the plan would cause major economic damage and add hundreds of millions of dollars in additional costs. City officials say the Hawthorne Boulevard Alternative, which would extend the … Read more
Southern California is heading into a period of noticeably cooler weather, with a chance of light rain expected as the week continues. “We’re talking about cooler temperatures. A cooling trend is now underway across the Southland,” KTLA’s Kirk Hawkins said Wednesday morning. According to the National Weather Service, light rain or drizzle is expected to … Read more
A grieving man is asking for the public’s help to locate a hit-and-run driver who slammed into his vehicle and killed his fiancée on the 210 Freeway in Glendale. On Dec. 20, 2025, Eric Linares and his fiancée, Erika De La Riva, 43, were driving home from a family dinner around 1:15 a.m. While traveling … Read more
Police in the San Fernando Valley are investigating whether two break-ins reported Tuesday night are connected, including a violent home invasion in Woodland Hills that left a husband and wife terrorized. The Woodland Hills incident was reported around 11:30 p.m. in the 22700 block of Erwin Street, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Investigators … Read more
Another earthquake measuring above magnitude 4.0 struck along the Riverside–San Bernardino County line overnight. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, a magnitude 4.2 earthquake hit at 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, about 12 miles northeast of Indio, at a depth of roughly 2.5 miles. No injuries or damage were reported. The quake followed a magnitude 4.9 earthquake … Read more