GARY MAN CHARGED AFTER ALLEGEDLY SHOOTING AT WOMAN’S NEIGHBOR
A Gary man has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly shooting at his girlfriend’s neighbor, then trying to run him over, documents state.
Kenneth Cunningham, 65, is also charged with two counts of attempted battery and one count of criminal recklessness.
He is in custody, held on an $8,000 bond, records show. His next court hearing is Sept. 16.
Police responded just after 8 p.m. Sept. 8 to the 700 block of Louisiana Street.
The victim told police a handful of men had gotten together drinking and smoking while a tree cutting crew was in the neighborhood after recent storms, records state.
Cunningham had gotten into an argument with his girlfriend, the victim said, and got angry after others, including him, asked Cunningham to stop talking about her in derogatory terms, documents state.
Then, Cunningham and the victim told slightly differing versions of what happened. Both agreed they got into a verbal argument.
Cunningham alleged the victim punched him before he angrily went back to the woman’s home to get a gun.
He later told police he shot the weapon in the air toward an abandoned home. The victim tackled Cunningham and started punching him, and took the gun. Cunningham allegedly got into a blue Jeep and tried to run the man over, charges allege.
Police found tire tracks on at least three yards, the affidavit states. Another neighbor managed to take the keys out of the vehicle, charges state.
EAST CHICAGO MAN CONVICTED OF KILLING TEEN
An East Chicago man was convicted Thursday in the death of a teen who snuck into his apartment to have sex with the man’s daughter.
Robert Allison, 51, was convicted of murder and a gun enhancement in the May 29, 2023, shooting death of Christian Ogobomon, 18, of Hammond.
His sentencing hearing is Oct. 7.
Deputy Prosecutor Chris Bruno told jurors Tuesday that Allison walked in his daughter’s bedroom and “hastily” shot Ogobomon once in the chest. There was evidence – including glass shards in his chest – showing Ogobomon was “exiting the room” when he was killed, the prosecutor said.
Defense lawyer Joe Roberts said Allison woke up and didn’t know who was in the apartment. He believed he was protecting his daughter from a possible sexual assault.
Police were called to Allison’s apartment on the 3700 block of Euclid Avenue, where they found Ogbomon shot on a balcony. Medics pronounced him dead at the scene. His death was ruled a homicide.
The daughter said she had met Ogbomon on Instagram and invited him over for the second time. They watched a TV show, then had sex.
Allison yelled for her. He eventually went into the room, saw Ogbomon, and shot him in front of her, according to court records.
He later claimed he thought Ogbomon had “broken into his house.”
CROWN POINT MAN GETS SPLIT TERM FOR RAPE, SEXUAL MISCONDUCT
A Crown Point man was sentenced Friday to a seven-year split term after pleading guilty to rape and sexual misconduct with a minor in separate criminal cases.
Noah Villarreal, 21, signed a plea deal in May, records show.
He was sentenced to five years in prison for the rape case and two years probation for sexual misconduct with a minor. He will also have to register as a sex offender, likely for life.
Crown Point Police responded in February 2025 to Franciscan Health Crown Point. The victim, then 20, told investigators that she was at a party at Villarreal’s home when she woke up the next morning to him raping her, the affidavit states.
In court Friday, Deputy Prosecutor Madeline Clement read a letter from the victim, who said Villarreal’s actions took away her “sense of safety.”
In the second case, a different victim – an underage teen – said in August 2023, Villarreal behaved inappropriately toward her while she slept next to him in his bed, court documents show.
Defense lawyer Roy Dominguez told Judge Salvador Vasquez his client understood how the plea’s terms would affect the rest of his life.
The multiple cases were “red flags,” Clement said.
Villarreal declined to speak in court.
Do you understand the charges, Vasquez asked.
“Not really,” Villarreal replied, before the judge went over it again.
He told Villarreal that accepting the plea was a “tough call,” noting the younger victim’s age.