Latest news with #PorterCountySheriff'sOffice
Chicago Tribune
07-08-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Fired Porter County Jail officer accused of trafficking drug into jail
A man who once served as a Porter County Jail officer now finds himself behind bars as he is accused of trafficking drugs into the jail for an old neighborhood friend. Johnny Maynor III, 50, of Merrillville, is charged with a Level 5 felony of trafficking a controlled substance, a Level 6 felony for official misconduct and a misdemeanor charge of trafficking with an inmate. The Porter County Sheriff's Office issued a news release late Wednesday, announcing the arrest of Maynor on the charges. He was terminated from his jail officer's job on July 28. The Porter County Sheriff's Detective Bureau began its investigation of Maynor on June 11, acting on information that the jail officer was suspected of trafficking contraband into the Porter County Jail. According to a probable cause statement filed in Porter Superior Court, inmates had told jail supervisors they believed Maynor was bringing a drug commonly called 'Toon' into the jail. Toon is made by dipping paper into a liquid narcotic drug and drying it. Users either smoke or ingest the drug-soaked paper. Detectives learned that Maynor was acquainted with an inmate who hailed from the same neighborhood in Gary. The probable cause statement outlines how the drug was brought into the Porter County Jail. The inmate's brother produced the 'Toon,' which was on paper, which Maynor would pick up and then bring into the jail facility. When jail inspections were conducted, Maynor would leave the 'Toon' in the inmate's cell or on his bed. On one occasion, an inmate overheard Maynor say, 'I got you' when the request was made to bring more 'Toon' into the facility. The 'Toon' being brought into the jail was, in turn, being trafficked to others within the facility. Video monitoring footage, reviewed by detectives, provided supporting evidence that Maynor was bringing the drug into the jail. Maynor's cellphone records also provided supporting information. Detective Lt. Brian Dziedzinski confronted Maynor on July 28, the day he was fired, with the evidence gathered from the investigation. Maynor admitted that he made a one-time mistake in bringing the 'paper' product that the inmate requested into the jail. But Dziedzinski noted that it was more than once, and Maynor agreed that was the case. Maynor said he didn't realize at first that when he brought the paper to his old neighborhood friend, the inmates were smoking it. He told the detective that 'he knew the delivery was suspect, but he doesn't have street smarts,' according to court documents. After about the third time he brought the paper into the jail, Maynor said, 'he felt bad' and realized that he was bringing the drug into the facility. He also observed that inmates who had smoked the paper would act 'crazy.' Dziedzinski said his investigation found that the drug had been trafficked into the facility between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025. An initial hearing was held Thursday before Porter Superior Court Judge Rebecca Buitendorp.
Chicago Tribune
12-06-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Chase ends with police car maneuver into Westchester Township farm field
A pursuit that started in Porter ended when a police officer executed a Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT) maneuver, forcing the vehicle into a farm field in Westchester Township Wednesday night. Matthew Mocabee, 21, of Portage, was charged with a Level 6 felony of resisting law enforcement and misdemeanor charges of possession of marijuana and reckless driving. The situation started around 8:30 p.m. when a Porter Police officer attempted to stop a motorist, who had been seen tailgating and passing other vehicles on a double-yellow line around the 700 block of North Waverly Road. Mocabee, who was driving a 2004 Dodge Neon, kept going and turned eastbound on U.S. 20, police said. The chase wound down country roads in Westchester and Pine townships and reached speeds in excess of 100 mph. It was in the area of Burdick Road and County Road 575 East that the police officer executed the PIT maneuver that pushed the Neon into the field. Mocabee wasn't hurt and offered no resistance when he was arrested. The Porter County Sheriff's Office also assisted in the arrest.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Deadly storm triggers alert for millions and leaves thousands without power across the Midwest
A severe winter storm has killed at least six and left almost half a million energy customers without power Monday morning, as strong winds and heavy rain caused havoc from the mid-Atlantic to the South. "Large hail, damaging winds, and a few tornadoes can all be expected" over the Ohio, Tennessee and Mississippi valleys, through the mid-Atlantic, the Southeast and the Gulf Coast, the National Weather Service said in an early Monday forecast. More than 70 million were under various weather alerts Sunday night. The Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office said that three people from the same family were killed when a tree hit a vehicle Sunday, with three others taken to local hospitals. One is in critical condition and the other two are stable, the Monday statement said. The Porter County Sheriff's Office confirmed that a man died Sunday in Valparaiso, Indiana, when his semitruck and trailer were blown over in winds of up to 80 mph. The victim was identified as 34-year-old Jagbir Singh, and there were widespread reports of trees being knocked down or uprooted in strong gusts. A man was killed in Cherokee County, Oklahoma, when a tree fell onto a camper just before 2 a.m. Sunday, NBC affiliate KJRH of Tulsa reported, citing local officials. A preliminary report from the weather service office in northern Indiana said that one person was killed when an Amish buggy was toppled in high winds in Millersburg, Indiana. NBC News contacted law enforcement officials but did not receive confirmation of this report until early Monday. The city of Elkhart, Indiana, said that while there were no fatalities overnight, there was extensive damage, including a collapsed building. Police warned people not to leave their homes unless it was "absolutely necessary." The weather service urged people under a tornado watch to know where their nearest shelter is and to immediately go there. One resident in Vancleave, Mississippi, posted footage online Sunday showing an enormous funnel cloud. Another potential tornado was filmed in Doniphan, Missouri, against a backdrop of dark, foreboding clouds. Freezing rain and high winds brought down power lines across the Great Lakes region, from Michigan to Wisconsin, while forecasters warned that the severe weather is headed south and could reach Tennessee. On Monday morning, almost 300,000 energy customers in Michigan were in the dark, and more than 50,000 connections were down in Wisconsin and Indiana. The Associated Press reported that churches, schools and firehouses became makeshift shelters for some. The weather service office in Gaylord, Michigan, posted pictures showing almost an inch of ice had accumulated there. Jesika Fox told the AP that she and her husband drove for more than 40 minutes from Alpena, Michigan, to find fuel for a generator that had lost power Saturday night. "We just passed a veterinary clinic. The entire front corner of the building was taken out by a tree," Fox, 36, said. These storms should move into the Atlantic by late Monday into Tuesday, although there may be flurries for the interior Northeast and the chance of thunderstorms will persist for Florida. There were reports and images of flooding in Florida on Sunday, affecting the last day of the Ultra Music Festival in Miami. For the West Coast, a strong Pacific coastal weather system is due to bring heavy rain and winds of up to 70 mph to Northern California and southern Oregon in the next two days, the weather service said. Heavy snow of between 2 and 4 feet is expected in the mountain regions, while the Great Basin and the northern and central Rockies could receive upwards of 12 inches. This weather system will move east Tuesday into the Plains and the Mississippi Valley, continuing the volatile conditions. This article was originally published on
NBC News
31-03-2025
- Climate
- NBC News
Deadly storm triggers alert for millions and leaves thousands without power across the Midwest
A severe winter storm has killed at least three and left almost half a million energy customers without power on Monday morning, as strong winds and heavy rain caused havoc from the Mid-Atlantic to the South. "Large hail, damaging winds, and a few tornadoes can all be expected" over the Ohio, Tennessee and Mississippi Valleys, through the Mid-Atlantic, Southeast and Gulf Coast, the National Weather Service said in an early Monday forecast. More than 70 million were under various weather alerts Sunday night. The Porter County Sheriff's Office confirmed that a man died on Sunday in Valparaiso, Indiana, when his semi-truck and trailer were blown over in winds of up to 80 mph. The victim was identified as 34-year-old Jagbir Singh, and there were widespread reports of trees being knocked down or uprooted in strong gusts. A man was killed in Cherokee County, Oklahoma, when a tree fell into a camper just before 2 a.m. on Sunday, NBC affiliate KJRH of Tulsa reported, citing local officials. A preliminary report from the NWS office in northern Indiana said that one person was killed when an Amish buggy was toppled over in high winds in Millersburg, Indiana. NBC News contacted law enforcement officials but did not receive confirmation of this report until early Monday. The city of Elkhart, Indiana, said that while there were no fatalities overnight, there was extensive damage, including a collapsed building. Police warned people not to leave their homes unless it was "absolutely necessary." The NWS urged people under a tornado watch to know where their nearest shelter is and to immediately go there. One resident in Vancleave, Mississippi, posted footage online on Sunday showing an enormous funnel cloud. Another potential tornado was filmed in Doniphan, Missouri, against a backdrop of dark, foreboding clouds. Freezing rain and high winds brought down power lines across the Great Lakes region, from Michigan to Wisconsin, while forecasters warned that the severe weather is headed south and could reach Tennessee. On Monday morning, almost 300,000 energy customers in Michigan were in the dark, and more than 50,000 connections were down in Wisconsin and Indiana. The Associated Press reported that churches, schools, and firehouses became makeshift shelters for some. The NWS office in Gaylord, Michigan, posted pictures showing almost an inch of ice had accumulated there. Jesika Fox told the AP that she and her husband drove for more than 40 minutes from Alpena, Michigan, to find fuel for a generator that had lost power Saturday night. "We just passed a veterinary clinic. The entire front corner of the building was taken out by a tree," said Fox, 36. These storms should move into the Atlantic by late Monday into Tuesday, although there may be flurries for the interior Northeast and the chance of thunderstorms will persist for Florida. There were reports and images of flooding in Florida on Sunday, affecting the last day of the Ultra Music Festival in Miami. For the West Coast, a strong Pacific coastal weather system is due to bring heavy rain and winds of up to 70 mph to northern California and southern Oregon in the next two days, the NWS said. Heavy snow of between 2 and 4 feet is expected in mountain regions, while the Great Basin and the northern and central Rockies could receive upwards of 12 inches.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
400,000 without power as Midwest battered by severe weather
More than 400,000 customers across the Midwest were without power in the early hours of Monday after severe weather battered the region. As of 5:30 a.m. ET, more than 292,000 customers were without power in Michigan, according to -- a website that tracks power outages throughout the country. Another 56,000 were disconnected in Wisconsin, 53,000 in Indiana, 15,000 in Kentucky and 13,000 in Ohio, the website said. ABC News Chicago affiliate WLS reported that one person was killed in Valparaiso, Indiana, when "severe crosswinds" blew a tractor and a trailer onto their sides, according to a statement by Sgt. Benjamin McFalls of the Porter County Sheriff's Office. Severe weather was forecast for much of the Midwest and South as the storm traveled eastward through the weekend. More than 75 million Americans were in the threat zone of the storm as of late Sunday. The system was expected to bring a range of hazardous weather impacts, including severe thunderstorms and a wintry blast on the northern side. MORE: Millions braced for dangerous severe weather -- including possible tornadoes Sunday's forecast said the severe weather was due to move to the East Coast and I-95 corridor from Upstate New York all the way south to Tallahassee and New Orleans on Monday. Damaging winds will be the biggest threat for northern cities but tornadoes cannot be ruled out across southern areas. ABC News Darren Reynolds and Jessica Gorman contributed to this report. 400,000 without power as Midwest battered by severe weather originally appeared on
