Category: News
Court news: Prosecutors file to drop rape case, truck stop stabbing
PROSECUTORS FILE TO DROP RAPE CASE
Prosecutors filed to drop charges Friday in a rape case, saying they couldn’t prove it.
Court filings do not yet show if it has been granted.
Kenneth Jones, 47, was scheduled for trial Monday.
Gary detectives responded June 17, 2024, to the home on the 1400 block of Delaware after police got a tip that a girl was held there.
At the house, another girl, “Nikki,” tried to undress her in an upstairs bedroom. A second man tried to have sex with her but she refused. Both Jones and the second man forced her to perform a sex act.
Jones blew smoke from a “glass pipe” in her face, making her dizzy, the affidavit states. She later guessed it was crack cocaine. The second man told her he had sex with young girls, and told her not to “say anything about it” or he would go to jail.
In a police interview, Jones denied touching the girl or blowing smoke in her face but admitted the girl was being held in the home. Co-defendant Tommie Johnson’s next hearing is April 9.
Jones’ previous trial ended in a mistrial in March 2025.
CASE DROPPED IN LAKE STATION TRUCK STOP STABBING
Prosecutors also dropped charges in a truck stop stabbing, saying they couldn’t prove it, filings show.
A woman said it all began after Ricardo Burnett called her an expletive when she didn’t thank him for opening the door at a Flying J Travel Center Denny’s on Ripley Street in Lake Station.
They argued. Her 23-year-old boyfriend tried to step in.
Burnett, a trucker from Deer Park, New York, and Florida, pulled out a pocket knife and stabbed him at least eight times in the chest, abdomen and arms, records allege.
He told the cops it was “self-defense.”
Burnett, now 50, was originally charged with attempted murder, aggravated battery and battery by means of a deadly weapon.
TRIO FACING CHARGES IN MEIJER THEFT
Prosecutors have charged three people after police say they stole nearly $350 worth of merchandise from a Meijer in Merrillville, filings show.
Marcos Ortiz Betancourt, 26, of Chicago; Betty Carolina Huerta Rojas, 28, of Gary; and Emily N. Torrealba-Pajaro, 23, of Gary, each face a charge of organized theft, a Level 6 felony, and misdemeanor charges of theft, according to Lake County court records. Ortiz Betancourt has an additional misdemeanor count of operation of a motor vehicle by an unlicensed driver, while Torrealba-Pajaro has misdemeanor counts of resisting law enforcement and unlawful encroachment on a law enforcement officer.
According to court records, officers were called around 4 p.m. to the store, located at 611 W. Lincoln Hwy, for a reported retail theft. Police later stopped a red Toyota Corolla about a mile north, near Madison Street and West 75th Avenue, and took four people into custody.
Court documents state the group entered the store around 3:19 p.m. Surveillance video showed one man and Ortiz Betancourt acting as lookouts, while Huerta Rojas and Torrealba-Pajaro concealed merchandise. The two women were seen near the electronics section unwrapping items and attempting to hide them, according to the affidavit.
The stolen merchandise included beauty products, hair products and various electronics, with a total value of nearly $350.
mcolias@post-trib.com; Post-Tribune archives contributed.
Lens pierde la opción de liderar la Ligue 1 tras empatar con Estrasburgo
ESTRASBURGO, Francia (AP) — Lens dejó escapar la oportunidad de colocarse en la cima de la Ligue 1 después de remontar un gol en contra para empatar 1-1 con Estrasburgo el viernes.
El delantero argentino Joaquín Panichelli anotó por tercer partido consecutivo para adelantar al equipo local a los 18 minutos en el Stade de la Meinau.
El 14to gol de Panichelli en la temporada lo igualó con Mason Greenwood en lo más alto de la tabla de goleadores de la liga francesa.
Lens reaccionó y empató a los 17 minutos de la segunda mitad por medio de Mamadou Sangare. Un saque de esquina fue despejado hacia los pies de Sangare y su remate de primera se coló entre un bosque de piernas y terminó en el ángulo inferior.
Fue apenas el segundo empate en la liga para Lens, que fue el mejor equipo en la segunda mitad, pero se topó con un Mike Penders en gran forma en la portería de Estrasburgo.
Una victoria lo habría dejado con un punto de ventaja sobre el líder de la liga y vigente campeón, Paris Saint-Germain, pero se mantuvo a un punto por detrás en el segundo puesto, tras haber disputado un partido más. PSG visita a Le Havre el sábado.
Estrasburgo, por su parte, ascendió al séptimo lugar. Solo ha perdido dos de sus últimos 14 partidos en todas las competiciones.
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Deportes en español AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
SpaceX Readies IPO Paperwork For March, Targeting $1.75 Trillion Valuation
SpaceX Readies IPO Paperwork For March, Targeting $1.75 Trillion Valuation
SpaceX is preparing to confidentially file for an initial public offering as early as next month, people familiar with the matter said, advancing plans for what could become the largest listing ever, according to Bloomberg.
The Starbase, Texas-based rocket and satellite company is expected to submit draft IPO paperwork to the US Securities and Exchange Commission in March, potentially positioning it for a June debut. That timing would make it the first in a possible wave of mega-offerings, with OpenAI and Anthropic PBC possibly following.
Deliberations are ongoing and plans could shift, the people cautioned, noting the filing could still be postponed.
Bloomberg writes that some of the people said SpaceX may pursue a valuation above $1.75 trillion, speaking anonymously because discussions are private. The company recently acquired xAI, Elon Musk’s AI venture, in a February deal valuing the combined business at $1.25 trillion, Bloomberg News reported. A confidential filing would allow SpaceX to receive regulatory feedback and revise disclosures before they are made public. A representative for the company did not immediately comment.
The IPO could raise as much as $50 billion, which would exceed Saudi Aramco’s record $29 billion offering in 2019. At a $1.75 trillion valuation, SpaceX would rank behind only five members of the S&P 500 Index — Nvidia Corp., Apple Inc., Alphabet Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Amazon.com Inc. — and would surpass Meta Platforms Inc. as well as Musk’s Tesla Inc. by market value.
In a memo, SpaceX said it is preparing for a possible 2026 IPO to finance an “insane flight rate” for its developing Starship rocket, space-based artificial intelligence data centers and a lunar base. The company has tapped Bank of America Corp., Goldman Sachs Group Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Morgan Stanley for senior underwriting roles and is weighing a dual-class share structure that could grant insiders, including Musk, enhanced voting control, Bloomberg News has reported.
The most prolific rocket launcher globally, SpaceX leads the industry with its Falcon 9 vehicle, transporting satellites and astronauts into orbit. It is also building toward a lunar foothold before ultimately pursuing Musk’s long-stated goal of sending humans to Mars.
Through Starlink — a vast network of low-Earth orbit satellites — the company has become the dominant provider of space-based internet, serving millions worldwide.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 02/27/2026 – 17:20
El tope salarial de la NFL llega a 301,2 millones de dólares tras subir 40% en 5 años
INDIANÁPOLIS (AP) — El tope salarial de la NFL superó por primera vez los 300 millones de dólares, al situarse en 301,2 millones en 2026, lo que supone un aumento de 22 millones con respecto al año pasado.
En apenas cinco años, el tope aumentó un 40% desde que cayó tras la temporada 2020 alterada por la pandemia, cuando se permitió que pocos o ningún aficionado asistiera a los partidos.
Las cifras se enviaron a los clubes el viernes, y los equipos deben poner su nómina por debajo del tope salarial antes del 11 de marzo, el primer día del nuevo año de la liga.
Se esperaba un crecimiento rápido desde la temporada de COVID-19, y el mayor incremento interanual, de 31 millones de dólares, se produjo de 2023 a 2024.
El tope bajó a 182 millones en 2021 desde los 198 millones con los que se entró en la temporada de la pandemia. Desde entonces, el aumento ha sido de al menos 16 millones cada año, con un incremento promedio de 24 millones.
Los costos totales proyectados de los jugadores, incluidos los beneficios, son de 378,8 millones de dólares.
La posición de receptor abierto sigue siendo la segunda etiqueta de franquicia más lucrativa, con 27,3 millones de dólares. La etiqueta para quarterbacks de 43,9 millones.
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Deportes en español AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Augsburgo vence 2-0 A Colonia e iguala récord: 8 partidos seguidos invicto en casa
AUGSBURGO, Alemania (AP) — Rodrigo Ribeiro anotó por segundo partido consecutivo y Alexis Claude-Maurice añadió el segundo tanto con el último toque del encuentro, con lo que Augsburgo venció el viernes 2-0 a Colonia 2-0 en la Bundesliga.
Ribeiro abrió el marcador a los 55 minutos, seis días después de marcar en la victoria 3-2 sobre Wolfsburgo. Lo hizo con un taconazo tras un pase retrasado del defensor estadounidense Noahkai Banks.
Claude-Maurice aseguró el triunfo ya avanzado el tiempo añadido cuando, con todos los jugadores de Colonia en el área rival para un córner a la desesperada, se lanzó al ataque y empujó el balón a la red vacía.
La quinta victoria de Augsburgo en seis partidos lo dejó en el noveno puesto, empatado en puntos con Eintracht Frankfurt, el equipo que está por encima.
Colonia no contó con cuatro jugadores por lesiones musculares, una oleada de ausencias que, según comentó el técnico Lukas Kwasniok, fue la peor a la que se había enfrentado.
Augsburgo, con una camiseta de edición única diseñada para resaltar la historia de la ciudad, aprovechó sus ocasiones en la segunda mitad. Estiró a ocho su racha de partidos sin perder como local en la Bundesliga, igualando el récord del club.
Colonia ha ganado solo uno de sus últimos seis partidos de liga y se mantuvo en el 12º puesto.
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Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Carpentersville revamps business webpage to entice new economic development
A revamped “business” webpage is giving Carpentersville an online presence that officials hope will be a boon for economic development.
Community Development Director Matthew Dabrowski and Marketing and Events Coordinator Jen Hyde worked on overhauling the page at cville.org/35/Business to make it more appealing and easier for potential developers to navigate.
“We wanted to address one of the strategic goals of the board, which was to create an economic development program to fill vacant storefronts and underutilized properties,” Dabrowski said at a recent village board meeting.
To do that, staff had to have a better understanding of the market and what the dynamics of that market entail, he said.
They also looked at the area within a five-mile radius of the village, he said. While Carpentersville has a population of 38,000, the market’s population is 134,000.
This is the population base the village is “working to draw from and bring into the community so they spend their dollars in our town rather than our residents spending their dollars out of town,” Dabrowski said.
Data from Why Kane, a county initiative for economic development, provides details about traffic counts, retail sales and other factors developers consider, Dabrowski said.
Kane’s research shows there’s more than $200 million in unmet commercial potential within the market, he said. “It means there’s room for additional restaurants and retail establishments,” he said.
The west side of Carpentersville is different than the east, where the market is not as strong but growing, Dabrowski said. There, the village needs to focus on bringing in smaller retailers, he said.
The webpage focuses on four corridors: Route 25, Route 31, Randall Road and the village’s western expansion west of Randall Road. Each corridor is highlighted on the page, with the focus being on large-scale developments, he said.
Carpentersville has 1.3 million square feet of commercial space, with a 4.8% vacancy rate, Dabrowski said. The vacancy rate is consistent with surrounding villages.
The data gave village officials insight into not only the commercial inventory but also the industrial market, he said.
Currently, the village has 2 million square feet of industrial space, he said. “Right now, we have a good problem. We are completely occupied. We have about an .8% vacancy rate,” he said.
“One thing we may want to consider when we think about economic development is that there could be a significant demand for industrial,” Dabrowski said. “(That might) not be a bad thing to have for our community because there is a need and there are other indirect benefits,” he said.
An indirect benefit is that industrial development increases the daytime population, which is what developers look at when considering locations, he said.
The revamped webpage provides information about the daytime population, along with charts, tables, maps, information on zoning, and consumer data.
“We had a lot of information on (previous) page,” Hyde said. “Our goal wasn’t just to repackage the content. It was really to be able to reposition how we present the opportunity for economic development.”
The village used embedded words on the webpage, like regional connectivity and incentivized development, that will direct developers to the page, she said.
“It is no longer just a source of data; it is now a sales tool,” Hyde said.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/27/carpentersville-developers-business-webpage-economic/
Lowell man gets probation for threats to prosecutor, officer
A federal judge sentenced a Lowell man to home monitoring and probation for sending threatening texts to Lake County Prosecuting Attorney Bernard Carter and a Lake County Police officer who issued him a speeding ticket in 2024.
U.S. District Court Judge Phillip Simon, in the Northern District in Hammond, sentenced John A. Smriga III, 24, to one year served plus one year of supervised release for each count of knowingly and willfully transmitting interstate and foreign communications with the threat to injure, to be served concurrently. Smriga will also continue to wear an ankle monitor for eight more months, Simon said.
After some discussion among Simon, U.S. Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Francis Sohn and defense attorney Steve Haddad over whether the threats Smriga issued were true threats, Simon overruled the prosecution’s objection that they were credible, even though “it’s a very close call.” Random, off-the-cuff threats over the Internet weren’t credible in this case because the chance of Smriga going through with them was slim, Simon said.
Nevertheless, Simon was annoyed with Smriga’s actions.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Simon yelled from the bench. “I’ve been the subject of threats, and they’re not very fun.”
Smriga apologized to the court for his actions, blaming them on frustration at having received his first-ever speeding ticket. Sohn countered that Smriga’s actions were calculated in that he made two separate threats within seven months, and he used internet anonymizer services to attempt to cover his tracks.
Smriga was arrested Sept. 11 in Lake County, the Post-Tribune previously reported. Court records allege he texted a threat to an unnamed prosecutor on his personal cellphone.
“Ayo, Bernie. we know exactly where you lay your head at. Tomorrow, we rollin’ through to grab what’s yours, so you better be set. Ain’t no playin’ around,” court records said it read.
The attached picture appeared to show several people flashing gang signs, which an FBI agent admitted was probably lifted somewhere online.
Smriga will reappear in court April 30 for the initial speeding ticket, court records indicate.
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Indiana Democratic secretary of state candidates speak at NWI forum
Two Democratic secretary of state candidates traveled to Northwest Indiana Thursday evening to talk about their platforms, specifically their goals to increase voter turnout.
Indivisible NWI, a local progressive organization, hosted a secretary of state candidate forum at the Lake County Public Library’s Merrillville branch. Democrats Beau Bayh and Blythe Potter participated in Thursday’s forum.
Indiana Democratic candidate for Secretary of State Beau Bayh answers a question from an audience member during a forum held by Indivisible NWI on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. (Kyle Telechan/for the Post-Tribune)
“We know there are many places you could be, and there’s a lot going on, so we thank you for being here,” Indivisible NWI President Kim Eldridge said. “It’s important for us to do an occasional forum … so that we can make sure we’re making an educated decision with our votes.”
Candidates were given 10 minutes for an opening statement, a question-and-answer period, and time for a closing statement. Questions were primarily focused on duties of the secretary of state’s office, including plans to protect election integrity, how to improve voter turnout and how to improve civic literacy in Indiana.
Beau Bayh, 30, is an Indianapolis-based attorney and U.S. Marine Corps captain running for secretary of state. Bayh’s grandfather Birch Bayh was a U.S. Senator, who helped draft Title IX, and his father Evan Bayh served as Indiana Secretary of State, Governor and U.S. Senator.
“I don’t know if I could talk when I first got involved (in politics),” Bayh said. “I have been blessed with an amazing family. My granddad is a hero of mine, and my dad is a hero of mine.”
Indiana Democratic candidate for Secretary of State Blythe Potter speaks as fellow candidate Beau Bayh sits nearby during a forum held by Indivisible NWI on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. (Kyle Telechan/for the Post-Tribune)
Bayh announced his campaign about four months ago, he said, adding that he’s been to Lake County five times in that time. If elected, Bayh plans to open an independent audit of the office “on day one,” saying he’s concerned about how current Secretary of State Diego Morales has used state funds, and Bayh wants to know who else is complicit.
Morales, who took office in 2023, has faced criticism from both Republicans and Democrats for the number of international trips he’s taken, spending in his office, hiring a family member for an office position, and not having properly notarized staff to accept candidate paperwork.
Bayh is also focused on increasing voter turnout throughout the state, including by working with legislators to expand Indiana’s early voting period and end straight-ticket voting. He’s also dedicated to instituting a statewide, citizen-led ballot referendum to “get big issues on the ballot,” including abortion access, which Bayh believes will increase voter turnout. The Indiana Bar Foundation’s 2025 Civic Health Index report ranked the state 41st in voter turnout and 33rd in voter registration nationally.
“I want to be the type of leader in state government that brings people together,” Bayh said. “It’s time for a brighter future for Indiana.”
Audience members listen as Indiana Democratic candidates for Secretary of State Beau Bayh and Blythe Potter speak during a forum held by Indivisible NWI on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. (Kyle Telechan/for the Post-Tribune)
Blythe Potter, 43, is a Bargersville-based small business owner and a U.S. Army Reserves veteran. Potter became involved in politics “by total accident,” she said, which she believes makes her the best person for the job.
“I was not born to be a politician, and I was not raised to be a politician,” Potter said. “At many points in my life, I said I didn’t want to do this.”
Potter wants to update the INBiz website to make it easier for business owners to navigate, and she plans to update the process to file for municipal elections, which is all on paper. Potter believes that creating an online version would make it easier for more people to run and “get more Democrats on the ballot.”
When Hoosiers turn 18 years old, Potter wants to give them a “welcome to voting” book that would explain the importance and the process. She also wants to create a “voter guidebook” that includes non-partisan information about candidates, voting locations and hours, and Potter wants to create a “Hoosier hall pass” for 16- and 17-year-olds Indiana residents to miss school to work the polls.
Audience members listen as Indiana Democratic candidates for Secretary of State Beau Bayh and Blythe Potter speak during a forum held by Indivisible NWI on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. (Kyle Telechan/for the Post-Tribune)
“This is a service job,” Potter said. “I’ve been in the service industry, in some capacity, since I was 14 years old. This job should be about serving our communities, serving the residents of Indiana.”
If either Bayh or Potter is successful, the winner would be a Democrat working in a Republican majority state government. However, both candidates said the possibility doesn’t scare them.
The secretary of state job is administrative, Potter said, and she’s dedicated to updating and modernizing the office. Doing so will accomplish more, she said, and it will put more trust back into the office.
“We are here to serve the public because the public pays us with their tax dollars,” Potter said. “I want to change the leadership style. I’m going to lead by example, not just for Democrats but for anybody who decides to be an elected official.”
Bayh hopes that if he runs a competitive campaign at the top of the ballot, it will break some of Indiana’s supermajority. He thinks there’s been 20 years of “little competition” in Indiana politics, and more competition would help voters.
“When I win this race, with your help, it’s not going to be the same course of business that they’re used to,” Bayh said. “It’s going to force them to be held accountable and to take better actions because they’re going to have a fear of accountability.”
Both candidates also shared their top priority for office, with each saying that they’re focused on completing an independent audit immediately.
“There’s no room in our state government for insider dealing and corruption,” Bayh said. “Then we will turn to election issues and increasing participation in our state.”
Potter is also focused on an independent audit, and she’s also dedicated to protecting voters and increasing turnout.
“Whatever the results of an independent audit are, in real time, I want to make sure that we’re sharing that information,” Potter said. “That way, Hoosiers know what I know, and they can see what’s been going on, and that can be a cautionary tale going forward.”
‘Sense-Making Seems Impossible…’
‘Sense-Making Seems Impossible…’
Authored by James Howard Kunstler,
The Man Who Might Wreck the Country
“That a government’s primary responsibility is to its citizens should not be a controversial proposition.”
– Coddled Affluent Professional on X
The zeitgeist is a rough beast, hard to ride as it slouches into the unknown.
Our country is trying to hang on while a party of goblins vexes and needles the beast from behind, and you cannot make them stop.
Sense-making gets to seem impossible.
We don’t have an explanation from Senate Majority Leader John Thune as to why he will not do what is within his power to do: pass election reform, known as the SAVE Act, by changing the filibuster procedure. At midweek Sen. Thune said Republicans were “not unified on pursuing a talking filibuster.” Understand that bringing back a real filibuster, with continuous speech in the well of the Senate, only requires the Majority Leader’s say-so, meaning Mr. Thune is prevaricating, concealing the truth.
Senator Mitch McConnell shadows Majority Leader John Thune
Which might be that he does not want to pass election reform. It appears he wants to set up the midterm elections with the now-familiar kit of unverifiable mail-in ballots, millions of non-citizen motor-votes, and dragged-out vote-counting so that Democrats will seize control of the House (if not the Senate) in order to crank-up the impeachment machine again and finally get rid of President Trump. It does not look like anything else, certainly not any kind of cunning game.
What might change that would be an FBI analysis of the 2020 election year ballots, voter rolls, and vote tabulation tapes recently extracted from the Fulton County, Georgia, Elections Hub, leading to indictments. They’ve had this mass of material for a month. There was already plenty of preliminary evidence of fraud from earlier investigations — which is how come U.S. Magistrate Judge Catherine Salinas of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia found probable cause to approve a search warrant for the FBI.
They must have an idea by now of what the evidence shows. It’s not that complicated.
There’s no fixed statutory timeline for a referral. The FBI can pass along the matter to the DOJ for prosecution whenever they determine the evidence is sufficient. Referrals are customarily secret, as they occur during ongoing investigations and involve sensitive, non-public information. DOJ policies emphasize confidentiality in pre-charging stages to protect investigations, potential witnesses, sources, and the integrity of any future prosecution. In general, the public learns of an FBI referral only indirectly — through later developments like indictments, or news media reporting via “sources.”
Criminal referrals on the Fulton County case might have already been made, and indictments might be forthcoming. That would have to prompt some kind of attitude adjustment for Senate Majority Leader Thune on behalf of election reform. It could happen at any time. It would at least put Senator Thune between a rock and a hard place. It’s well-understood that at least 80-percent of people polled want the SAVE Act passed.
There is no debating position that reasonably argues against it. You might have noticed that Mayor Mamdani of New York City called for volunteers to shovel snow in the latest blizzard, and that anyone who stepped-up was required to show two types of photo ID to work the job. Yet, Mamdani, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), aligns with the party’s longstanding opposition to voter ID laws, including the SAVE Act. No need to go figure on that. It’s just arrant dishonesty.
The president emphasized clearly why the Democrats are against election reform in this week’s State of the Union speech: because the party can only win elections by cheating, by employing massive systematic fraud. He said it so that everybody tuned-in could hear it, and the Democrats just sat stone-faced on their side of the chamber — and that was only minutes after they refused to stand for the proposition that the government’s main job was to act in the interest of American citizens.
It’s unlikely that the president can alter election procedure himself, through executive order or by declaring some kind of national emergency. Any attempt would be instantly litigated and shut down by the judiciary. The Constitution assigns primary authority over the “times, places and manner” of elections to the states (with only Congress able to alter them by law).
Either Senator Thune will do his duty or not. He must have some self-awareness that he risks going down as the greatest villain in our history, the man who wrecked the country. Does anything like personal honor still exist in this land?
Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ZeroHedge.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 02/27/2026 – 17:00
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/sense-making-seems-impossible
Cedar Lake man charged with child molesting
A Cedar Lake man is facing new child molesting charges less than two weeks after his sentencing in another case.
Kevin Richard Osika, 24, was charged Thursday with ten felonies, including Level 1 felony child molesting, child exploitation, and possession of child pornography.
He is in custody, held without bail.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) provided a cyber‑tip regarding suspicious online activity involving an Instagram user to the Indiana State Police’s Internet Crimes Against Children unit, ISP spokesman Sgt. Glen Fifield said in a release Thursday night.
In February 2025, Osika was taken into custody on an unrelated outstanding arrest warrant issued by the Hammond Police Department, Fifield said. As ISP and U.S. Secret Service investigators interviewed him, additional information triggered a search warrant for a residence in the 15000 block of Sheffield Avenue in Cedar Lake, and officers seized several electronic devices.
The Center for Missing and Exploited Children forwarded a tip on Dec. 9, 2024, that an Instagram user uploaded child porn, according to court records. Police tied it to Osika.
Under questioning in different police interviews, he admitted molesting a child. He said he used Discord and Snapchat for child porn. He also admitted to having various images of minors on his phone, records state.
At the time, investigators knew Osika had a pending Hammond child molesting case from November 2021. It wasn’t charged until February 2025. One agent from the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations said he was “very familiar” with Osika.
Court records show Judge Natalie Bokota sentenced him Feb. 12 in that case to 2.5 years in prison, 2.5 years in Lake County Community Corrections and three years probation in a plea deal for child molesting.
mcolias@post-trib.com; Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/27/cedar-lake-man-charged-with-child-molesting/
