NJ man gets 18 months probation for sexual battery
A judge sentenced a New Jersey man to 18 months probation Friday after he was convicted of sexual battery against a then-teen relative in East Chicago.
Pedro Castaneda Contreras, 49, of Brick, New Jersey, was convicted in March.
The victim said at trial that initially she wanted a physical relationship, but quickly changed her mind and felt “scared” or unable to get out of it.
Jurors acquitted him of rape.
Prosecutors file to dismiss rape case near school
Prosecutors filed to dismiss charges on Thursday against a man accused of raping a friend down the street from a Merrillville school, saying they couldn’t prove it.
Elijah Johnson, 28, was charged in September with rape.
Merrillville Police wrote they responded around 10 p.m. March 2, 2023.
The woman said she texted Johnson to give her a ride to work.
They stopped by a gas station for her to buy cigarettes. On the way back to her apartment, he passed the building and took her to a “dead end” street by Miller Elementary, 5901 Waite St., where he raped her in the car, charges state.
Dolton man gets probation for attack over no BBQ sauce for cheeseburger
A Dolton man got one year probation Thursday for attacking a friend when she had no BBQ sauces for their cheeseburgers.
Darrius Robinson, 36, pleaded guilty May 29 to battery resulting in moderate bodily injury.
Gary Police were called Sept. 14, 2023 to the 4200 block of W. 23rd Avenue.
She tried to leave the room so he could calm down, but he blocked her. He grabbed and swung her around “like a rag doll”, according to court records.
Robinson pushed her down the stairs, punched her multiple times in the face and tried to stab her in the back, according to the affidavit. The blade hit her buttock.
The woman managed to hit him, then ran out the door.
Man gets 5 years in Cedar Lake robbery
A Gary man got 5 years in a plea deal earlier this month for a Cedar Lake stickup.
Alexander Marshall, 27, was sentenced May 7 after pleading guilty to robbery.
Co-defendant Javonte Camell’s next court date is June 26.
Both men walked into the victim’s home July 27, 2020 on the 14000 block of Wheeler Street where they found him and the victim’s girlfriend in his bedroom, records state. After asking to “smoke some weed,” the victim was getting it out of a small safe when Marshall and Camell drew guns at him, documents show.
They took $400 and put it in Camell’s backpack, records state.The victim pinned Camell against a wall, pushed the shotgun and was holding it down when it went off, wounding him in the left thigh, records state. Both men fled out the front door.
Man avoids prison for robbery at casino
An Illinois man avoided prison Thursday for stealing a man’s winning chips from a casino.
Anthony Odneal pleaded guilty in March to robbery. He was sentenced Thursday to three years on home detention and one year probation.
The victim told police he’d been playing blackjack at the Hard Rock Casino on May 11, 2023 and was the only person at the table when he went to cash out the $500 in chips he’d won.
In reviewing the surveillance footage, police observed a man fitting the subject’s description handing a security officer at the casino’s east door an Illinois driver’s license with the name “Anthony A. Odneal,” police said. The video also showed Odneal trailing the victim as he cashed in his chips, walking to his car and then getting into the black Ford Fusion as the victim continued to walk to his, records said.
Odneal has been charged with armed robbery/taking property by force or threatening use of force, a Level 3 felony.
Ohio man gets probation after wandering into Hammond home
An Ohio man was sentenced to one year probation May 20 for wandering into a random Hammond home and hitting the homeowner with a cell phone during his escape.
Robert Schaefer, of Olmstead Falls, Ohio, pleaded guilty to residential entry, a misdemeanor, records show. He will have to complete a substance abuse treatment program.
Hammond Police were called around 10:30 p.m. Sept. 5, 2023 to the 3900 block of 176th Place for a reported fight.
There, the homeowner said a stranger barefoot and clad only in black shorts — later identified as Schaefer — opened the unlocked back door and came inside. He thought it was one of his kids and yelled to keep the dogs inside.
When the homeowner realized what happened, he tried to usher Schaefer away from his family and out of the house. When Schaefer tried to go around him, the homeowner grabbed him by the throat.