Guns Stolen From Harvey PD Range
Special Agent in Charge Andrew L. Traver of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) announces the arrest of Eric Caldwell, a 34 year old Country Club Hills, Illinois resident, for the illegal possession of a firearm by a felon. Caldwell was arrested on May 24, 2010 in Hammond, Indiana. On Friday May 28, 2010 Caldwell appeared before United States Magistrate Cherry for a preliminary hearing. Caldwell waived a probable cause hearing and was released on an unsecured $20,000 bond.

If you or a loved one has been charged with possession of stolen firearms, contact our Fort Wayne Defense Lawyers now!

In addition to Caldwell, Delekeists Q. Walls, a 19 year old Harvey resident and a juvenile offender were also arrested. Walls was charged by the Lake County Indiana Prosecutor’s Office in Crown Point, Indiana with the illegal possession of a machine gun and a 9 mm semi-automatic pistol. Walls appeared today before Judge Kathleen Sullivan in the Lake County Indiana Superior Court. Bond was set at $20,000. The Juvenile is being held in Juvenile Detention for Juvenile Delinquency.

If convicted Caldwell could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Walls is facing a Class C Felony punishable by 2 to 8 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. The arrests culminated from a burglary investigation of the Harvey Police Department’s firearms range in Harvey, Illinois earlier this month. These subjects were arrested by ATF Agents along with officers from the Harvey Police Department, the Cook County Sheriff’s Police and the Hammond Police Department. As a reminder, in all cases, criminal complaints are an allegation of criminal violations of law, all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

On May 20, 2010 ATF posted a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the recovery of firearms stolen from the Harvey Police Department’s storage container at their outdoor firing range in Harvey, IL. Sometime between May 8th and May 10, 2010, individuals broke into a building at the Harvey Police Departments outdoor range and stole 27 firearms comprised of shotguns, rifles and handguns. The firearms stolen also included several weapons classified as being able to fire Fully-Automatic (more than one round with the single pull of the trigger).
To date 17 of the firearms have been recovered through the work of ATF and the Harvey Police Department. The goal of this reward is to facilitate the expeditious recovery of these law enforcement weapons and to ensure the safety of the community. ATF agents and the Harvey Police Department continue to actively pursue all leads and will work with our state and local counterparts to recover these weapons.

Anyone who has information on the location of the remaining stolen firearms or individuals who possess the stolen firearms should contact ATF’s firearms hotline at: 1-800-ATF-GUNS (1-800-283-4867). Persons can also provide anonymous tips or information at the same number.
Questions regarding the ongoing investigation should be directed to the Harvey Police Department directly.

On Thursday, April 2, 2009, at approximately 11:15 p.m. the Allen County Sheriff’s Department Warrant and Fugitive Division arrested Robert Glenn Sheets at his residence in the 1400 block of Dodge Avenue on fugitive warrants issued out of Elkhart County Indiana, Howard County Indiana, Tipton County Indiana, Auglaize County Ohio, Henry County Ohio, Wyandot County Ohio, Oldham County Kentucky, and Coldwater Michigan. Mr. Sheets also has fugitive warrants out of Cleveland County North Carolina and Cobb County Georgia. North Carolina and Georgia will not extradite because they are outside of the pick up radius. All of the fugitive warrants are for forgery and theft related charges. Mr. Sheets is being held No Bond in the Allen County Lock-Up pending extradition.

If you or a loved one has been arrested, contact our Fort Wayne Criminal Defense Lawyers now!

Indiana State Police arrested a Marion, Indiana attorney this evening on forgery and theft charges stemming from a two month investigation.

Sergeant Detective Rob Ricks (Redkey District) conducted the investigation at the request of the Grant County Prosecutor’s Office.

Stephen P. Wolfe, age 54, 390 E. Buckeye Street Cicero, Indiana represented three separate clients in civil cases and failed to properly disperse settlement monies received on behalf of those clients. In two of those cases, Wolfe misrepresented to his clients that their cases had not yet settled and, instead forged their names, and used their money for personal purposes.

Ricks obtained an arrest warrant from the court preliminarily charging Wolfe with:

* Three counts of forgery, all class “C” felonies
* Three counts of theft, all class “D” felonies

Wolfe turned himself over to Detective Ricks at the Grant County Jail where he is held on $10,000.00 bond.

Grant County Prosecutor James Luttrull said, “Like all criminal defendants in this country, Mr. Wolfe is to be presumed innocent of these charges until, and unless, proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. Respecting this presumption, we will not discuss the details of this case until its presentation in court”.

source: http://www.in.gov/isp/2310.htm

On Sunday, November 8, 2009, at approximately 6:30 p.m., an Allen County Sheriff’s officer returned to his residence in the 11000 block of South Anthony Extended and discovered that someone had gained entry to his home. Missing was his police gun belt, department issued Sig Sauer P220 .45 caliber handgun, Walther PPK .380 caliber backup weapon and department issued police radio.

If you or a loved one has been charged with burglary, contact our Fort Wayne burglary lawyers now!

A witness saw a black car parked in the driveway between 9:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. Previously, another witness had seen a black Ford Taurus in the area occupied by several people. A female and male had exited the vehicle and were seen walking down South Anthony Extended. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 436-STOP (7867) or the Allen County Detective Bureau at 449-7431.

Cass Superior Court II Judge Rick Maughmer sentenced 30-year-old Logansport man to the eight-year maximum prison term for trying to break into the American Legion Post 60 last year. He pleaded guilty to attempted burglary, a class C felony.

If you or a loved one has violated probation, contact our Fort Wayne criminal defense lawyers now!

The punishment resulted from a plea deal that tacked on an additional five years in prison and nearly five years on probation for violating terms of his probation from a 2001 conviction for a residential burglary in Cass County.

A change in seasons is evident among local police. Many have begun wearing summer uniforms, bicycle patrols have started and more Fort Wayne officers will be seen patrolling on foot. City police officer Mark Bieker enjoys taking to the streets and the Rivergreenway with his police dog, Justice, a Dutch shepherd. Foot patrol is one way to help deter crime, which according to local officials, is expected to mount in the coming weeks and months.

As summer nears, police will make themselves more visible, but so will criminals. When temperatures rise, the crime rate follows, according to criminal justice experts. Fort Wayne police receive on average about 12,000 more calls for service from May through July than from December through February, according to a Journal Gazette review of police data over the past five years. That’s a 30 percent increase during those warmer months. That increase can be attributed to more human interaction, heat that causes tensions to rise and additional opportunities for criminals to take action, experts said.

Why should you ask for a Fort Wayne defense lawyer before answering any questions? If the police have read you your Miranda Warning, or you have been formally charged with a crime in or around Fort Wayne, it means that they suspect that you might be guilty of a crime. Whether you are guilty, or completely innocent, or more likely somewhere in between, the reasons may be different, but you need the advice of a Fort Wayne defense lawyer before you proceed through the mine fields, the tricks, the traps and the loop holes of the Indiana legal system. A qualified defense lawyer is your guide through the system.

If you have been arrested or charged with a crime, contact one of our Fort Wayne defense lawyers now!

If you are guilty of a crime in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the reasons are probably obvious why you need a lawyer. You want a Fort Wayne criminal lawyer to prevent you from saying anything that will make it easier for the police to get the evidence necessary to convict you of the crime. You also want any punishment that might result from a conviction to be as light as possible. It might be in your best interest to help the police in their investigation, but it should be your criminal lawyer, not the police, that advises you of that.

If you are completely innocent, the reasons for requesting a Fort Wayne defense lawyer may not be so obvious. After all, you may reason, isn’t it in my best interest to help the police find out who really did the crime? The answer maybe yes, but unfortunately, the police are frequently over worked, some times lazy, some times less than competent, but more importantly they are, after all, human. If they are convinced that you are guilty, they are unlikely to expend much effort looking for some one else. An accomplished and professional Fort Wayne defense lawyer can help to make sure that the answers that you give are more likely to point the police in some other direction than at you.

Accused
The person against whom an accusation is made.

Arraignment
Reading to him the charges in the arrest documents, and demanding of him how he pleads. This hearing may be combined with a right to counsel hearing.

Arrest
To deprive a person of his liberty by legal authority.

Bail (bond)
A written obligation with or without collateral security, given to a court to guarantee appearance before the court.

Bail Bondsman
Any person in the business of becoming or engaging in a surety on a bail bond for compensation, and includes any agent of such person.

Bail Forfeiture
Order by the court that the surety pay to the court the amount of security pledged for failure of an accused to comply with the requirements of the bond.

Bail Schedule
A bail schedule is a list of crimes and the bails required to release the accused from custody. These bails vary from municipality to municipality. Judges can also change the amount of bail needed, as can factors such as the nature of the crime, criminal history, and the accused standing in the community.

Court Order
A command or mandatory direction of a judge which is made during a case. Also includes a command of the judge which established courtroom or administrative procedures.

Criminal Defense Lawyer
A criminal defense lawyer is a legal professional who organizes a case and represents someone accused of a crime. Everyone in America, citizen or not, is entitled to legal counsel before questioning can begin.

Defendant
A person required to answer a legal action or suit.

Felony
A serious criminal offense.

Incarceration
Imprisonment; confinement in a jail or penitentiary.

Initial Appearance
The procedure by which an arrested defendant is promptly brought before a judicial officer who advises the defendant of the charges against him, his right to counsel, and his first day to appear in court and establishes conditions of pre-trial release. It also includes a probable cause determination on a warrant-less arrest and advice of preliminary hearing in felony cases.

Licensed Bail Agent
A licensed bail agent is a person or company authorized by a governmental regulatory agency to arrange bail for people accused of crimes. Licensing ensures that your bail agent engages is legitimate practices and can be held accountable for any misdoings.

Misdemeanor
A minor criminal offense.

Plaintiff
A complaining party in a civil action.

Plea
An answer to a charge.

Posting Bail
Posting bail is the process by which the amount needed to release a person from custody is paid to the courts.

Public Defender
A public defender is a free lawyer provided by the courts to represent someone accused of a crime.

Verdict
The finding of a court.

Warrant
A written order by a judicial officer commanding a peace officer to arrest the person named in it or to search for a seize property as described in it.

Yes, typically grand jury courts have rules that prohibit disclosure of grand jury proceedings. The rules typically apply to the government attorneys, the grand jury members, and the court personnel. Violators of the rules can be held in contempt of court if a case against them is proven. However, proving that the leaked information came out of the grand jury proceeding and identifying exactly who made the prohibited disclosure is difficult in most cases.