LAPORTE

Police officer tickets slow driver on Ind. 2

Don't expect to see Thomas Marrapode step on the gas pedal now that he's been ticketed for traveling too slow.

The ticket Monday in LaPorte comes after he was pulled over on two previous occasions recently and given a warning.

Marrapode said he's not visually impaired or handicapped. At 66, he's simply no longer in a rush and wants to save gas.

"It's not that I'm just poking along. I'm not in a hurry," said Marrapode on Tuesday.

Marrapode said he was in LaPorte visiting friends Monday night and stopped at Speedway on Ind. 2 on the city's east side to get a soda pop.

As soon as he left, Marrapode said he was followed by a police officer, who several blocks later stopped his 1998 Chevy S-10 pick up truck near Roberts Street.

In his report, officer Joseph Blake said the man was traveling less 20 miles per hour and vehicles were beginning to line up behind him.

He plans to appeal the ticket in court.

In the meantime, Marrapode said he plans to stay under the speed limit but will pull off the road to his right and stop if that's what it takes to avoid being ticketed again.

"I'm going to drive at a reasonable speed. I'm not a troublemaker. They're turning me against law enforcement," he said.

LAPORTE

Cops say man totals van while under intoxicated

A man, while on a delivery, totalled a company-owned van he was driving and was handcuffed after confessing to using drugs.

Allen Firanek, 19, of Michigan City was charged with operating while intoxicated.

It was his second accident in the van owned by Carpet Town and is now out of a job, said Chris Barth, owner of the Carpet Town store at 400 Lincolnway.

"That's the main reason he's not employed here any longer," said Barth, who added "he was in the middle of a couple of deliveries."

Tuesday just before 5 p.m., LaPorte County Police were alerted of a Carpet Town delivery van traveling wrecklessly on Ind. 2 westbound from Boyd Boulevard.

Within minutes, Deputy Keith Waltz was dispatched to County Road 150 North and Lofgren Road.

The van had sheered off a NIPSCO pole.

With a slurred speech, Firanek told officer Waltz "I took two vicodin about three hours ago and smoked marijuana yesterday," police said.

Police said he sustained cuts to his hands and refused medical attention.

MICHIGAN CITY

Sullair Corporation says 41 workers are laid off

The economic downturn is blamed for 41 job layoffs at Sullair Corporation in Michigan City.

The layoffs affected mostly office personnel at the plant, which makes portable and stationary air compressors for the construction and industrial markets, company spokesperson Linda McGee said.

Sullair has been in Michigan City for more than 40 years and still employs about 700, McGee said.

There are no guarantees on future market conditions, but "we believe Sullair to be viable, and we're continually looking at the business's needs," McGee said.