Contractor charged again with theft
A Merrillville man faces charges for defrauding a Hammond woman out of $9,000 after he promised to work on her home.
Michael C. Edwards, 41, was charged Sept. 9 with fraud. He had not been apprehended and is ordered held without bond.
The victim said he claimed he worked at Mike & Mike Construction in Portage. Once she paid part of the $17,000 estimate up front, he stopped responding to her.
The affidavit mentions Tinley Park, Illinois. Police are investigating him for a “similar crime.”
Court records show since 2020, he has had seven other criminal theft cases filed in Lake County and another in LaPorte County.
Merrillville woman’s conviction upheld for killing husband
The Indiana Court of Appeals denied Nakeyia Anderson’s appeal for reckless homicide for fatally shooting her husband.
She said it was accidental as they fought over a gun.
In a 14-page opinion issued Sept. 11, Appeals Judge Mark Bailey wrote in a 3-0 decision that the issues Anderson raised on appeal were “harmless” to the case.
Anderson, 44, of Merrillville, was sentenced to two years in prison and one on probation after a jury trial last year for the July 18, 2021, fatal shooting of Tihomas Anderson, 44, outside their home on her birthday.
Merrillville man’s appeal denied for shooting at co-worker’s husband
The Appeals Court also denied a Merrillville man’s appeal for shooting at his co-worker’s husband in an AutoZone parking lot.
Damien Hagan, 26, was sentenced to 12 years in March in an aggravated battery plea deal. On appeal, he argued the court should have given him more credit for a lack of criminal history.
In a 9-page opinion issued Sept. 3, Indiana Appeals Court Senior Judge John Baker in a 3-0 decision rejected Hagan’s argument.
mcolias@post-trib.com