Statement from City of Gary Mayor Eddie Melton on Incident at 2300 Jackson Street

MAYOR EDDIE MELTON

I am devastated by this horrific act and my heart goes out to the victim and their family.

As mayor, my primary goal is to make Gary a safe place for all. This isolated incident does not reflect who we are as a community.  

I want to commend the citizens for their vigilance. Thanks to their help, law enforcement was able to locate the victim in less than six hours.  

I thank the Gary Police Department for their swift response and their collaboration with other law enforcement agencies on solving this case.

We will continue to support our law enforcement officials as they work towards prosecuting this perpetrator.

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CHIEF DERRICK CANNON

I am proud of the responsiveness shown by the Gary Police Department, who worked closely with the FBI and Lake County Sheriff's Office to rapidly locate and arrest this depraved criminal using surveillance technology in less than six hours.  

I also commend the members of the public who answered the call to help find the missing victim and bring them to safety. This is what coming together as a community looks like.  

The charges should send a clear message. In Gary, if you engage in criminal activity, we will take every legal measure to ensure you face the maximum penalty under the law.

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Media Contact:

Erika Blackwell, Chief Communications Officer, City of Gary
cell: (219) 292-1251
em: eblackwell@gary.gov

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