Court briefs: Fatal drug robbery sentencing, sex crimes involving minors, shooting charges dropped
A Gary man faces up to 20 years after admitting he set up the robbery that led to a drug dealer's death.
Davion Dean, 28, pleaded guilty March 29 to attempted robbery resulting in bodily injury and dealing in a narcotic drug.
Gary Police arrived at 1:40 p.m. March 30, 2023, to the 4400 block of Delaware Street, where a young man lay on the front steps of a small apartment building.
The victim was identified as Jordan Miller, 24, of East Chicago.
Dean pitched the robbery to Brandon McFadden, who is charged with shooting Miller six times, court records state.
Dean's sentencing hearing is May 29 before Judge Natalie Bokota, who would have to accept the plea deal.
McFadden's trial is scheduled for November.
A Schererville man was sentenced to 25 years in prison April 2 for molesting a preteen girl.
Kerin Banegas-Ramos, 40, pleaded guilty in February to Level 1 felony child molesting.
According to court documents, Banegas-Ramos admitted he sexually assaulted the child from January to October 2023.
A 21-year-old Lake Station man faces charges that he had sex with a girl, 15.
Rickey Bailey, 21, is charged with four felony counts of sexual misconduct with a minor and one misdemeanor.
He is in custody, held on a $5,000 cash bond. His next hearing is Tuesday.
The teen's mother told Hobart Police the girl ran away March 23. She posted on social media that she planned to leave Indiana after her Dairy Queen shift. The girl and Bailey were found together the next day.
Investigators subpoenaed Facebook messages where she said she was ready to be a mom, and called Bailey her 'baby daddy.' They planned to go to Missouri.
The girl told him she was 17. Bailey denied having sex with her, then admitted he did after learning her real age.
Prosecutors dismissed charges against a Hammond woman on March 20 in connection with a shooting over Xanax pills at a gas station, saying that they couldn't prove it.
Nora Vera, 53, was charged in 2023 with Level 3 felony aggravated battery and Level 5 felony battery by means of a deadly weapon, according to Lake Superior Court records.
Hammond Police were called at 8:49 p.m. July 26, 2023, to a Speedway Gas Station, 6845 Calumet Ave., for a reported shooting.
There, they saw a male victim shot and lying on the ground in the south parking lot. Witnesses said he had been pushed out of a dark colored pickup before it took off.
Nearby security video appeared to show the shooting.
The victim initially lied to police, saying he was buying marijuana from an 'older couple.' He got in their truck and they got angry when he asked to use Apple Pay. The son, Ladislao Vera Jr., connected him for the sale.
Ladislao Vera Sr. shot the victim, who said he had a gun, too, but couldn't use it in time, court records state.
Days later, in a second police interview, the victim admitted he was buying 250 Xanax pills. He was scared to be charged, documents state. He met the couple once before.
At the hospital, staff told him he was shot four times.
Hammond Police executed a search warrant Aug. 10, 2023, at the Veras' house. There, they confiscated a gun case, extended gun magazine, and iPhone. They also found 'numerous' pill bottles of 'many types' in various bedrooms.
The case against Vera Sr. is still pending. Charges against her son, Vera Jr., were dismissed in October.
A Gary man got nine years on March 21 for dealing fentanyl to an undercover informant.
Arthur Boyd, 57, pleaded guilty in February to dealing in a narcotic drug.
Court records state the drug deal happened on May 5, 2023, on the 2000 block of Ohio Street in Gary.
In exchange for his plea, prosecutors dismissed several other drug possession and dealing charges.
Post-Tribune archives contributed.
mcolias@post-trib.com
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