Free Republic

<p>HAMMOND, Ind. - A federal jury has convicted a northwestern Indiana mayor and his wife of wire fraud and other charges for improperly using funds from his campaign and his city's food pantry.</p> <p>The jury deliberated five hours Friday before finding Lake Station Mayor Keith Soderquist and his wife, Deborah Soderquist, guilty of conspiracy, seven counts of wire fraud and three counts of filing false income tax returns.</p>

In the small town of Lake Station, Ind., the news that the mayor, his wife and stepdaughter have been indicted on federal corruption charges this week came as little surprise. Residents in Lake Station, one of many working-class towns that fringe the northwest Indiana industrial centers of Gary and Hammond, have seen FBI agents leaving the town hall several times in recent years. On Thursday, Keith Soderquist and his wife and personal secretary, Deborah, were in federal court in Hammond to face charges of wire fraud and filing false tax returns, after allegedly using money from Soderquist’s campaign fund and...

LAKE STATION | Former Police Chief Michael Stills failed, over a four-year period, to forward about 30 gun permit applications to the state, Police Chief Kevin Garber said. "These applications and money orders, some dating back as far as 2008, have since expired," Garber said Wednesday. Garber was sworn in Jan. 1 as the department's police chief, replacing Stills, who served as a longtime chief. Stills, who retired from the department Feb. 21, was notified by Garber in early February about the findings. Stills could not be reached for comment. A family member said he was out of town. Garber...