During the aftermath of last week’s storm, a Portage man was charged with felony theft for stealing tools and miscellaneous hardware valued at $2,500 and concealing them underneath his camper, court records show.
Kevin Lamar Hilliard, 39, who lives in the 300 block of 3rd Street, is charged with a Level 6 felony of theft and two counts of resisting law enforcement, a misdemeanor.
When Hilliard was confronted by Portage Police officers at his residence at 11 a.m. Thursday, he started running.
Portage Police Captain James Maynard said that Hilliard ignored repeated commands to stop and ran for .08 of a mile.
Maynard said he had to hold Hilliard by his head to control him to the ground, where he continued to resist until he could be handcuffed, the probable cause statement says. Another Portage Police officer also filed a resisting law enforcement charge because Hilliard failed to obey his commands to stop.
The man who made the complaint against Hilliard said that he saw his Ryobi tools and batteries, along with an extension cord, sprinkler and miscellaneous hardware underneath a trailer parked at Hilliard’s residence, the court record says.
Hilliard has a prior conviction for theft from October 14, 2022, in North Richland County, Indiana.
There were also pending warrants out for Hilliard on two unrelated theft charges in Porter and Lake Counties in Indiana.
Hilliard had failed to appear in Porter Superior Court 2 for a hearing on his Level 6 felony charge of theft, stemming from his alleged theft of painting supplies from the Walmart on U.S. 6 in Portage on March 6, 2025. A warrant for Hilliard’s arrest was issued by Judge Jeffrey Clymer on June 9, 2025.
Lake County had a case against Hilliard from Jan. 16, 2026, that involved two counts of Level 6 theft and two misdemeanor theft charges. A warrant for his arrest was issued on July 17 by the Lake Superior Criminal Division One Court.
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Porter Circuit Court Judge Rebecca Buitendorp on Friday had initially set Hilliard’s bond at $1,500 cash.
The new theft case was transferred to Clymer’s court Monday, and he set bond at $5,000 cash. Clymer appointed Mitch Peters as Hilliard’s attorney. Hilliard’s next court appearance is set for Oct. 26.
Jim Woods is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.