CROWN POINT

Tax appeals board adds eight meetings

The Lake County Property Tax Board of Appeals has scheduled eight additional meetings this year to resolve at least 7,700 appeals filed by property owners irate over a reassessment that they claim is boosting their taxes too high.

The board will meet 10 a.m. in the commissioners' courtroom March 26, April 14, May 7, June 9, July 11, Aug. 11, Sept. 8, Oct. 9 and Nov. 5.

These meetings will be in addition to the board's regular meetings, which usually take place on the final Wednesday of the month.

CROWN POINT

Health board to discuss Hammond satellite office

The Lake County Board of Health will meet Wednesday to discuss the status of a satellite office opened in Hammond.

The county now provides inoculations from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays at the site of the former city health department, 649 Conkey St., Hammond. Birth and death records are also available at the same location.

CROWN POINT

Man charged in chase, shooting in Hammond

Arturo Diaz III was charged with criminal recklessness in a March 8 car chase and shooting in Hammond in which he was the driver, Lake County criminal court records say.

Diaz told Hammond police his friend, a passenger in the car, fired a gun at a woman in another car, records say.

Yesenia Moreno told police she was a passenger in a car driving south on Columbia Avenue in Hammond when a car being driven by a man she recognized as Diaz drove up close to her car and forced it to stop.

Moreno said a passenger in Diaz's car fired two shots at the car she and her 6-year-old son were in.

Diaz told police he had no idea his passenger was going to fire at the car and that he drove away after the passenger ordered him to.

CROWN POINT

Cedar Lake man given work release for fraud

A Cedar Lake man was sentenced to four years in work release Friday for check fraud, Lake County prosecutor Bernard Carter said.

William Lawhorn, 28, pleaded guilty Oct. 5 to attempting to steal money from DeMotte State Bank, Centier Bank and Peoples Bank in March 2007 by giving them phony business checks, Carter said.

Lawhorn was ordered to pay back DeMotte State Bank and Centier Bank a total of $1,171.63.