Tom has turned Hammond into quite the tourist stop, becoming quite the destination. I've read elsewhere Tom doesn't even live in Hammond any more, mail forwarded to another address.
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Hammond police investigating series of vehicle arsonshttp://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/hammond-police-investigating-series-of-vehicle-arsons/article_5308535c-60b1-5253-9595-8bbcc324c031.htmlHAMMOND | Hammond police opened an investigation Tuesday after four early morning vehicle arsons, officials said.
Firefighters and police responded to the first fire about 1:30 a.m. in the 4800 Block of Magnolia Avenue, police spokesman Lt. Richard Hoyda said. A 1996 GMC truck and 2002 Ford truck were burned, he said.
A 2009 Honda minivan was involved in a second fire about 1:45 a.m. in the 200 Block of 173rd Street, he said.
A fourth vehicle was burned in a fire about 2:15 a.m. in the 7000 Block of California Avenue.
The fourth fire about 3:45 a.m. involved a 2004 Dodge in the 1200 Block of 170th Street, Hoyda said.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Sgt. Richard Tumidalsky at (219) 852-2997.
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Chicago men charged in Hammond bar shootinghttp://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/chicago-men-charged-in-hammond-bar-shooting/article_7050561f-4cc5-5b0c-a72b-cef1bb812b2e.htmlHAMMOND | Two alleged members of the Latin Counts street gang were charged last week in a shooting at Portside Pub that wounded two men, according to court records.
Chicago residents Felix I. Delgado, 24, and Maurilio "Rambo" Frausto, 27, face two counts of aggravated battery and four counts of battery. Delgado is additionally charged with three counts of attempted murder, attempted aggravated battery, two counts of battery and attempted battery.
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Warrants for their arrests were issued last Friday.
Delgado and Frausto were seen on surveillance video on May 8 walking into Portside Pub located in the 1500 block of Indianapolis Boulevard in Hammond. They exchanged words with two other men at the bar before going into the bathroom.
Frausto then returned to speak to the two men while Delgado took a seat at a nearby bar stool. At one point, Delgado got up and reached for a handgun from his waist, according to the affidavit.
Frausto began punching one of the men in the face, which led to a fight in the bar, according to the affidavit. The video then showed Delgado pointing a gun at the two men while announcing his allegiance to the Latin Counts street gang and using a racial slur, according to court records.
Delgado then fired at the men who were less than 10 feet away from him, according to the affidavit. As Delgado and Frausto were leaving the bar, Delgado shot once again at one of the men who had managed to make it out of the bar.
The shooting left one man with injuries to his rib area, belly button, left hip, right neck area and shoulder, according to the affidavit. The other man who was shot had injuries to his stomach, chest, heart and liver.
Chicago police identified Frausto as being associated with the Latin Counts.
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Women plead guilty to tampering with witness in Hammond gang casehttp://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/women-plead-guilty-to-tampering-with-witness-in-hammond-gang/article_e0b8387f-f66a-5f31-be9f-36ee79c147a8.htmlHAMMOND | A woman and her daughter pleaded guilty Friday to tampering with a witness in a federal murder and racketeering case against their relative, U.S. District Court records show.
Dalia Guerrero, 39, of Merrillville, and her daughter, Jasmine McMichael, 22, of East Chicago, admitted they told a witness in a case against Anton L. James they knew where the witness lived and what the witness looks like.
The women were accused of making the threats and telling the witness to "recant" during a meeting outside Hammond High School on July 16, the day James was arrested.
James, Guerrero's son and McMichael's brother, was indicted in July on charges of murder in aid of racketeering and murder resulting from the use of a firearm during a crime of violence.
Guerrero and McMichael face a maximum of 20 years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine. The U.S. attorney's office agreed to recommend a minimum sentence in exchange for their pleas, court records show.
The plea deals are not binding on the court, and the women will not be allowed to withdraw their pleas if a judge doesn't follow the agreements, court records state.
James, 19, of Hammond, a reputed member of the Latin Kings, is accused of fatally shooting Martin Hurtado Sr. in October 2014. James thought he was shooting at Hurtado's son, Martin Hurtado Jr., court records state.
Hammond police Sgt. Michael Schmidt testified in December in Lake Criminal Court that Hurtado's homicide and other shootings were part of an ongoing dispute between the Latin Kings and the Latin Counts.
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