A Gary man is facing multiple burglary charges after he allegedly knocked down the door of an apartment to rob the occupants.
Harold Eugene Ballard, Jr., 46, is charged with burglary with a deadly weapon, a Level 2 felony; burglary of a dwelling, a Level 4 felony; unlawlful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, a Level 4 felony; and misdemeanor resisting law enforcement.
Around 2 p.m. on Nov. 17, the victim said he and a friend were inside his apartment when they heard knocking on the door of the upstairs apartment, according to the probable cause affidavit. They then heard glass breaking and footsteps upstairs. They heard two subjects talking and one of them said, “That’s the safe she was talking about, that’s the safe it’s in,” records state. A little bit later, the subjects walked down to the man’s apartment. They started to kick in the door, so he and his friend went into the bathroom to hide, court records state. He called 911 at that point.
After the subjects left and the man emerged from the bathroom, he noticed that his front door was forced open by completely knocking it off the hinges, the affidavit states. His apartment was also missing his PlayStation, headset and cash. He told police that the door was locked and no one was given permission to enter, records state.
When police responded to the 911 call, they saw one man exit the residence on the west side of the building and head toward the alley. Police gave loud commands for the man to stop, but he continued to flee and dropped things while he was running, court records state. Officers eventually apprehended the man, whose driver’s license identified him as Harold Eugene Ballard Jr. Police found a variety of items that he had dropped including the PlayStation, and a fully loaded black FNK. 40-caliber firearm, the affidavit states. A second man also was seen exiting the building but hasn’t been arrested. Ballard’s 2018 black Ford Taurus was also located near the residence, but it had a fake plate, records state.
In February 1996, Ballard and another man were charged with attempted murder and armed robbery after they were involved in a shootout with federal agents who were trying to negotiate a drug and gun sale at the McDonalds on 5th Avenue in Gary. He was convicted of the charges and served time in Westville Correctional Facility until July 2011, when he was released to Community Corrections to serve out his probation.
Post-Tribune archives contributed.