Meredith Colias

Jun 14, 2024 | chicagotribune.com | Meredith Colias

A Chesterton man is facing neglect charges after he was arrested for driving drunk, up to 95 miles per hour with four unrestrained kids crammed in the back seat, documents allege. Russell L. Lowe II, 35, was charged Tuesday. He posted a $5,000 cash bond. His next court appearance is June 24. Indiana State Trooper J. Luckey wrote he went to pull Lowe over around 9 p.m. April 13 after he clocked 85 miles per hour near the state line — 3.5 mile marker — on Interstate 80/94 west.

Jun 14, 2024 | chicagotribune.com | Meredith Colias

A Gary man got eight years Friday after he was pulled over as a convicted felon twice with a gun. Jermaine L. Watts, 32, pleaded guilty in April to two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon in two criminal cases. He faced up to 12 years. His lawyer Kirk Marrie said Watts was cooperative with the cop, asking Judge Salvador Vasquez for a “final chance.” He was a good person who made “bad decisions.”Deputy Prosecutor Milana Petersen argued he had a violent past.

Jun 14, 2024 | chicagotribune.com | Meredith Colias

A Griffith man pleaded guilty Friday to aggravated battery for shooting a woman’s new boyfriend. Aaron Belcher, 36, faces 11 years if a judge accepts the plea. He made a brief court appearance Friday. His sentencing is July 12. Multiple police agencies responded just before 2 p.m. Aug. 2 to the 1100 block of E. Highway 330 in unincorporated Griffith for a reported assault with a firearm. They saw a woman screaming for help from a window. She said her ex-boyfriend, Belcher, took off in a red truck.

Jun 14, 2024 | chicagotribune.com | Meredith Colias

An Illinois man was sentenced to three years Friday after a plea deal for a Hobart gas station robbery. Marlon Triplett, 34, formerly of Chicago, admitted to Level 5 felony robbery. He faced one to six years. Court records show his current address is listed at the Shawnee Correctional Center in Vienna, Illinois. He and co-defendant Sedgwick Reavers were implicated in a string of stickups across the Chicagoland area.

Jun 13, 2024 | chicagotribune.com | Meredith Colias

Judge Samuel Cappas revoked a Hammond man’s bond Thursday during a brief court hearing. Jerome K. Baker, 32, is charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in catastrophic injury, a Level 1 felony; domestic battery resulting in serious bodily injury to a person less than 14 years old, a Level 3 felony; and aggravated battery, a Level 3 felony.