The Northwest Indiana BMX community is mourning the loss of 13-year-old Oliver Ball-Reed of Hebron following a tragic accident Saturday night at Steel Wheels BMX in Hobart. According to the Lake County Coroner’s Office, emergency responders were notified at approximately 10:24 p.m. on Saturday, January 31, 2026, after Oliver was transported from the track to … Read more
A LaPorte County jury found Donell Davis, 30, an inmate at the Westville Correctional Facility, guilty on January 29, 2026, in connection with the November 7, 2023 beating death of fellow inmate John Taylor. According to court documents, Indiana State Police were contacted after Taylor was initially believed to have died from a drug overdose … Read more
Tyreece Lovell Evans, 32, of Merrillville, is facing multiple serious felony charges after police say alleged drug sales earlier this month led to a search warrant at his apartment, where large quantities of methamphetamine and cocaine were discovered. According to a probable cause affidavit, investigators documented two separate methamphetamine transactions in early January at Evans’s … Read more
Quaysean Jimmie-Ray Hall, 20, of Gary, is facing multiple felony charges after a Hobart Police traffic stop reportedly led to the discovery of a Glock handgun modified to fire as a machine gun and nearly 47 grams of marijuana inside his vehicle. Police said an officer was on patrol on January 29, 2026, when he … Read more
Lenora Beach, 59, of Merrillville, has been charged after officers responded at approximately 7:54 p.m. on January 30, 2026, to a home in the 5400 block of Maryland Street. Police were dispatched for a domestic disturbance after receiving reports that two people had been shot. According to the probable cause affidavit, officers arrived to find … Read more
Thomas William Webber, III, 34, of Valparaiso, faces multiple misdemeanor charges in Porter County after police say he drove a vehicle off the roadway and into a residence. According to court documents, on January 4 around 6:49 p.m., Webber drove his vehicle off the road and crashed into a home at 384 Pinewood Drive in … Read more
Shantay Monique Shanks, 47, faces two felony theft charges after Gary Police identified her on surveillance video using credit and debit cards taken from wallets that truck drivers reported missing while they slept inside their semi cabs at Burr Street truck stops. According to probable cause affidavits, on September 21 into the early morning of … Read more
The Lake County Council has unanimously approved an Economic Revitalization Area for a new John Deere distribution center planned southwest of Interstate 65 and Indiana 2. The approval, announced during a special Thursday meeting, clears the way for a 1.2-million-square-foot facility expected to generate $7.2 million in new property tax revenue for Lake County over … Read more
Melissa Danielle Vieyra, 30, of Griffith, is facing a felony theft charge after an investigation at a Hammond medical clinic allegedly revealed she removed prescription medications from the pharmacy over a two-month period while working as a pharmacy technician. According to a probable cause affidavit, the incidents took place between October 13, 2025, and December … Read more
Dariel Edwin Dodd Jr., 26, of Merrillville, is facing several felony and misdemeanor charges after investigators recorded two cocaine transactions earlier this month and later carried out a search warrant at his apartment, where marijuana, digital scales, packaging materials, and a device used to convert a firearm into a fully automatic weapon were found. According … Read more