2013 Tippecanoe County Prosecutor's Office in the News
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2013 Tippecanoe County Prosecutor’s Office in the News December 31, 2013: Lafayette Journal and Courier Illinois man faces a dozen charges in credit card theft Written by Justin L. Mack A dozen felony charges were filed Tuesday against an Illinois man accused of using the personal information of two Lafayette women to obtain credit cards. Kemo D. Whirl, 39, of Wheaton, Ill., was charged in Tippecanoe Superior Court with three counts of forgery, three counts of theft, three counts of fraud, two counts of identify deception and one count of attempted theft. According to court documents, the investigation against Whirl began in June when a woman who worked for Riggs Community Health Center told police that several attempts had been made to open credit cards in her name. She also reported that in July, a U.S. Bank credit card had been issued in her name and sent to an address in Lafayette. The card was later used to make purchases at Home Depot and Target. Surveillance footage from both stores showed the card being used by a black male wearing a baseball cap. Further investigation revealed that the credit card was sent to the home of another Riggs official who held an administrative position and had access to the personal information of other employees. When questioned, the administrator denied all knowledge about the illegally obtained credit card. When shown surveillance footage, the administrator was reportedly able to identify Whirl as the man who used the credit card at Home Depot and Target. She added that he was a friend who stayed with her from time to time. She also stated that Whirl was a Riggs patient. After speaking with the administrator, police spoke with a second victim who was a former care provider at Riggs. She too told investigators that she had been the victim of identify theft. Records and surveillance footage indicated that a U.S. Bank credit card opened in her name was used by Whirl at CVS and Pay Less Supermarket. Police spoke with Whirl on Aug. 19, and court documents allege that he admitted to applying for the credit cards with personal information he found in a trash can at Riggs. He reportedly went on to say that the Riggs administrator who he was friends with had nothing to do with it. Whirl allegedly recalled using a card at Home Depot and Target. When asked about using a credit card at CVS and Pay Less, he explained that he only vaguely remembered it and attributed his memory loss to being high on cocaine. December 30, 2013: Lafayette Journal and Courier 2 involved in Purdue grade changing-scheme plead guilty 1 Written by Justin L. Mack Two former Purdue University students involved in an elaborate plan to hack into university computer systems and doctor their grades pleaded guilty to their crimes Monday. Roy C. Sun pleaded guilty to two counts of computer tampering and one count of conspiracy to commit computer tampering, both Class D felonies. Sujay Sharma pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit computer tampering, a Class D felony. Sun is slated to be sentenced on Feb. 27, and Sharma will be sentenced on Feb. 24. According to court documents, Sun’s grade changes date back to May 2008 and continued until his graduation in May 2010. His original grades were nine F’s and one incomplete. He gave himself straight A’s. Sharma, a nuclear engineering major, had just one class grade changed — an engineering course, going from a D to an A. But he’s accused of accessing course tests and acting as lookout for Mitsutoshi Shirasaki, a third defendant still wanted and believed to be in Japan. Shirasaki, is suspected of changing 24 grades between May 2010 and December 2012 — in some instances, going from failing to A’s and B’s. The investigation began in November 2012 when an engineering professor contacted the university’s information technology security services department because his password had been changed by an unknown party. Shirasaki was later identified as the suspect. Court documents state that Shirasaki claimed that he learned how to access professors’ accounts through Sun. It involved physically breaking into professors’ offices and switching their computer keyboards with identical ones. The suspects reportedly installed key logging devices to the original keyboards, then broke into professors’ offices again to replace the original keyboards. The key logging devices allowed the suspects to figure out their professors’ account passwords. Purdue police previously told the Journal & Courier that the grade-changing scheme is believed to be a first for the university. December 27, 2013: Lafayette Journal and Courier 2 Ky. men face drug charges Police say car contained 75 pounds of marijuana Written by Emily Campion Two Kentucky men were formally charged Friday in Tippecanoe Superior Court 2 after police say they found more than 75 pounds of marijuana in their vehicle on Dec. 19. Jairo Alejandro Villalobos and Daniel Rivera Barradas face charges of dealing marijuana, a Class C felony, with intent to deliver in the amount of 10 pounds or more; and possession of marijuana, a Class D felony, with the intent to deliver in an amount greater than 30 grams. 2 A Class C felony is punishable by up to eight years in prison, while a Class D felony is punishable by up to three years in prison. Indiana State Police Trooper Joseph Winters pulled Villalobos over for no visible license plate. According to court documents, Winters detected the odor of marijuana. Upon requesting consent to search the vehicle, Winters found a clear, vacuum-sealed bag inside a shoebox with green, plant-like material. Winters estimated the bag weighed 1 pound. Two large trash bags were found in the trunk, each containing two large, wrapped bundles and weighing about 75 pounds total. A field test confirmed the substance to be marijuana. Villalobos told police the drug was loaded into the car at a Wisconsin home. According to court documents, Villalobos said he sat in the living room while Barradas and another man put the marijuana in the trunk. Once in the vehicle, Barradas asked Villalobos if he could partially pay Villalobos in marijuana for giving him a ride. According to Villalobos, his uncle knew what was in the trunk and told him not to get in the car. Barradas and Villalobos are currently in Tippecanoe County Jail. December 27, 2013: Lafayette Journal and Courier Man charged with deviate conduct with mentally disabled teen A Lafayette man faces charges of criminal deviate conduct and sexual battery in connection with incidents involving a developmentally disabled teenager victim more than a year ago. Christopher D. Lucas, 22, of Lafayette is charged in Tippecanoe Superior Court 2 with two counts of criminal deviate conduct, two counts of sexual battery and two misdemeanor counts of possessing a synthetic drug and drug paraphernalia. The most serious charge, criminal deviate conduct, is a Class B felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison upon conviction. According to court documents, police were initially dispatched to investigate a sex offense reported to have occurred Dec. 12, 2012, in a residence on Sioux Place. According to interviews with witnesses and with the victim, Lucas on more than one occasion forced the male victim to perform a sexual act. According to court documents, the victim was told he would be killed if he “snitched.” The alleged incidents occurred on separate dates and at two places between April 2009 and December 2012. When police first made contact with Lucas on Dec. 12, according to court documents, an officer found a grinder, a pipe and a sandwich bag containing a green plant-like material. Police said the defendant told them the green material was “spice.” Later testing showed the material to be a specific synthetic drug banned under Indiana law. In a follow-up interview, Lucas told investigators he never forced the victim and that in at least one case the victim initiated the contact, according to supporting documents. According to Tippecanoe County Jail, Lucas was initially booked into jail Dec. 12, 2012, and was released the next day. A warrant for his arrest was issued Friday. As of 5 p.m., he had not been booked. 3 December 24, 2013: WLFI TV Man accused of battery on a child, 12 Written by Justin L. Mack A Lafayette man, accused of shoving and throwing a 12-year-old girl to the ground while fighting with the child’s mother, now faces criminal charges. James C. Koontz, 30, was charged Monday in Tippecanoe Superior Court with battery on a child, a Class D felony, and interference with the reporting of a crime, a Class A misdemeanor. According to court documents, Lafayette police officers were called to a domestic disturbance on Dec. 19 at a home on Cambridge Road. Upon arrival, officers saw Koontz grabbing a woman’s shirt and yelling at her. The woman reported that Koontz “became aggressive” when she attempted to wake him for work. She then told her daughter to call the police, but Koontz reportedly took the phone away from her and wouldn’t give it back. The girl told police that during the argument, Koontz pushed her and caused her to fall on her 3-year-old brother. She said he also threw her to the ground, and that when she tried to leave the house, Koontz slammed the door on her wrist. Kootnz was arrested and booked into the Tippecanoe County Jail. He was released after posting a $500 bond. December 24, 2013: WLFI TV Lafayette man charged to 25 years By Alexandra Kruczek A Lafayette man will spend more than two decades behind bars for multiple charges, including battery of a law enforcement officer.