IndyStar.com: Crime & Courts
Indiana's leading news source for all the top stories, local news, sports and weather.
Police chase ends with Eastside crash
Police arrested two suspected robbers after a brief chase in a stolen car that ended in a crash into a Eastside fast-food restaurant Tuesday. The men, who were still being questioned by detectives, are suspected of robbing Joseph Manson, 28,...
Robbers hit pizza delivery driver
A 21-year-old pizza delivery driver in Lawrence was robbed at gunpoint of $80 in pizza and $80 in cash Tuesday night. The four suspects struck Ashley Reed, Lawrence, on the back of the head and pointed a gun at her head before fleeing from 12500...
Mom slain at Michigan City school bus stop
MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. — Police say a man fatally shot his ex-girlfriend in front of their two children as they waited for a school bus in northern Indiana. Officers found the man dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot a half mile away about...
Wounded officer relieved by verdict
Man who shot cop in head is convicted of attempted murder Shortly after hearing the verdict he had hoped for, Indianapolis police officer Jason Fishburn embraced several jurors outside the courthouse in Valparaiso. It was his way of saying thanks...
Ex-schools chief faces theft, other charges
COVINGTON, Ind. — Charges of forgery, theft and perjury were filed Tuesday against former Covington schools Superintendent Nate Evans after a recent State Board of Accounts audit. Evans owes nearly $36,000 to the school district, according to...
3, possibly 4, fires considered arsons
Arson investigators said two fires on the Near Northside and one on the Westside were intentionally set, and they suspect arson in a fourth. No one was injured in the fires, which began late Monday and continued into Tuesday. The first fire was...
Rocker is placed on probation for meth charge
A judge sentenced Hoosier rocker Henry Lee Summer to a year on probation Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to possessing methamphetamine. The case arose from a routine traffic stop in May that turned into a short chase through a subdivision just north...
Former cubmaster is accused of theft
Delphi — A Carroll County woman is accused of stealing money from a Cub Scout pack’s account. According to an Indiana State Police news release, Jane Alison Popejoy, 38, Ambia, faces one felony count of theft after about $3,000 went...
BSU student admits making up attack story
Muncie — A Ball State University student who said she was attacked from behind on campus has admitted to police that she made up the story. The 19-year-old student, whose hometown is Warsaw, faces a potential criminal charge ranging from...
Officer relieved by jury's verdict
Man found guilty of attempted murder against city officer Shortly after hearing the verdict he had hoped for, Indianapolis police officer Jason Fishburn embraced several jurors outside the courthouse in Valparaiso. It was his way of saying thanks...
Suspects in farm chemical theft killed
TENNYSON, Ind. — Police say that two men suspected of trying to steal anhydrous ammonia from a Southern Indiana farm died in a car crash as they fled. The Warrick County Sheriff’s Department says a farmer spotted the men early Monday and...
UPS executive linked to Indiana University rape commits suicide
ATLANTA — A vice president for shipping giant UPS who was accused of raping a 21-year-old Indiana University student during homecoming weekend has committed suicide in Georgia, police said Monday. Mark Samoline, who had been with UPS for 15...
Ozzy and Jack Osbourne donate K9 to Muncie police
MUNCIE — Ozzy is here. The K-9 police dog purchased by heavy metal rocker Ozzy Osbourne and his son, Jack, made his way to Muncie last week to spend time with his partner, Muncie Police Sgt. Jay Turner, and train on the streets of Muncie....
Ozzy the police dog is a welcome gift
Metal music’s Osbourne family helps Muncie police obtain a new K-9 recruit MUNCIE, Ind. — The K-9 police dog purchased by heavy metal rocker Ozzy Osbourne and his son, Jack, has arrived in Muncie The dog, named Ozzy, is spending time with...
Shooter says he fired over his shoulder as he ran
The defendant on trial in the shooting of Indianapolis police officer Jason Fishburn testified Monday that he fired his gun three times over his shoulder while running. Fishburn survived gunshots to his head and protective vest, but Brian Reese, 37,...
Man shot on Eastside while walking his dog
A man walking his dog on the city’s Eastside was shot in the back while running from two robbers, sending his dog racing home to alert the victim’s wife, police said Monday. Gabriel Jordan, 32, Indianapolis, was shot in the street in the...
Death Row killer from Indiana on 'Oprah' today
A convicted killer who is scheduled to be executed Dec. 11 will appear on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” today. Winfrey interviewed Matthew Eric Wrinkles via satellite from the Indiana State Prison. He was convicted of killing his estranged...
Accused of shooting Indianapolis cop, Reese takes stand in trial
Defendant Brian Reese was called to testify at his trial this afternoon and denied aiming at Indianapolis police officer Jason Fishburn before firing his gun. “I didn’t know the cop was shot until I got to the hospital,” said Reese, 37, according to...
Two arrested in violent home invasion
Two men were arrested in connection a Westside home invasion and beating today as police tried to determine whether they are linked to a second attack. James Motley, 26, and Michael Davis, 18, both of Indianapolis, each were charged preliminarily...
Police: Robbers shoot dog walker
A man walking his dog on the city’s Eastside was shot in the back while running from two robbers, sending his dog racing home to alert the victim’s wife, police said today. Gabriel Jordan, 32, Indianapolis, was shot in the street in the...
Newborn found in Indiana trash bin
AUBURN, Ind. — A newborn girl was found alive inside a trash bin outside a northeastern Indiana apartment building, and police officers arrested a 19-year-old woman hours later on attempted murder charges. Police say a woman throwing out her...
Three men detained after Westside robberies
Police have detained three men for questioning after a second robbery was reported less than a mile away from an incident earlier this evening in which three people were beaten during a burglary on the city’s Westside. The incidents began...
Jeep runs on top of motorcycle; 2 hurt
Two motorcycle riders were hurt Saturday night after being struck by a suspected drunken driver. Jonathon Gonzalez, 23, Kokomo, and Megan Anderson, 23, Tipton, were traveling through the intersection of Westfield and Kessler boulevards about 6:45...
3 men detained after Westside robberies
Police have detained three men for questioning after a second robbery was reported less than a mile away from an incident earlier this evening in which three people were beaten during a burglary on the city’s Westside. The incidents began...
Man shot in leg on city’s Northside
An Indianapolis man was shot in the leg this afternoon during what he told police was an attempted robbery, police said. Around 3:30 p.m., Wilbert Wilkerson, 24, was parked in a McDonald’s parking lot near 51st Street and North Keystone Avenue...
2 motorcyclists hit; DUI suspect held
Two motorcycle riders were hurt Saturday night after being struck by a suspected drunk driver. Jonathon Gonzalez, 23, Kokomo, and Megan Anderson, 23, Tipton, were traveling through the intersection of Westfield Avenue and Kessler Boulevard about 6:45...
Remaining vigilant on civil rights
Indiana’s latest cross-burning case illustrates challenge facing state and feds Cross burnings may seem like a relic from a dark chapter in American history, but an incident in Indiana resulted this week in prison sentences of a year or more...
Graffitist 'CHOKE' tagged, police say
Miguel Villanueva has painted a reputation from California and Las Vegas to Cincinnati and Bloomington, police say. Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department detectives believe the Richmond man is the artist “CHOKE,” who has left his...
Student on her way to bus stop is raped
A 15-year-old girl was raped Friday morning as she walked to her school bus stop on the Eastside, police said. The attack occurred about 6:30 a.m. in the 1200 block of North Tuxedo Street, said Sgt. Paul Thompson, spokesman for the Indianapolis...
Prisoner: Reese said he lay in wait for officer
A jury heard testimony Friday from a man who shared a holding cell with the defendant accused of shooting Indianapolis police officer Jason Fishburn in the head during a foot chase. Brian Reese said he waited for Fishburn around the corner of a house...
