PORTER COUNTY, Ind. – A Chicago driver was arrested for driving under the influence after crashing into a scale house on I-94 in Northwest Indiana Saturday, authorities said.

Crash Leads to Arrest 

What we know:

An Indiana State Trooper responded to a single-vehicle crash on I-94  at the eastbound scale house, east of the Chesterton exit.

Authorities said a black 2022 Chevrolet Tahoe drove through the entrance of the scale house at a high rate of speed, struck the metal gate, and collided with several street signs and light poles. 

The vehicle came to a stop against the metal guardrail in the bypass lane. Debris from the crash shattered the scale house windows.

Further investigation revealed the driver, a 28-year-old Chicago woman, reportedly consumed alcohol and was attempting to drive home when the crash happened, authorities said. 

The driver was heading eastbound on I-94 rather than westbound toward Illinois.

State police said they offered for the driver to take a certified chemical test, but her interactions resulted in a O.W.I. refusal charge. She was then transported to the Porter County Jail.

What’s next:

The damages to the light poles, signs and scale house is estimated at several thousand dollars, authorities said. 

Final charges against the driver will be determined by the Porter County Prosecutor. 
 

On Saturday night, the Philadelphia 76ers kicked off their three-game road trip with a matchup against the Indiana Pacers. As they continue to deal with an array of injuries, Nick Nurse has had to rely on the roster’s younger talent to fill the void.

Among those who has seen a sizable uptick in playing time in this recent stretch is big man Adem Bona. With Joel Embiid and Andre Drummond sidelined, he’s been tasked with filling the backup center minutes. He’d do so again against the Pacers, this time replacing Guerschon Yabusele.

A returning Drummond was placed in the starting lineup, leaving Bona to anchor the second unit. He’d put together one of the best outings of his young NBA career, posting a career-high 12 points to go along with six rebounds. What stood out most from Bona in Indiana was his efficiency, shooting a perfect 5-for-5 from the field.

When the Sixers drafted Bona in the second round of the 2024 draft, the expectation was that he’d focus on development behind the scenes with the long view in mind. However, due to the team’s unwanted injury circumstances, the young big man has found himself learning the NBA game on the fly. Bona has appeared in 25 games so far for the Sixers and is averaging 2.4 PPG and 2.3 RPG.

Even with Drummond returning, Bona will likely still seem some playing time for the foreseeable future. It remains unclear if Yabusele will be back in action the next time the Sixer take the floor, and Embiid has already been ruled out for at least another seven days.

Despite being slightly undersized for the center position, Bona has managed to have success in the early stages of his career as an energy guy.

An Indiana woman was nine months pregnant when she disappeared over three months ago, and her family has suspicions about her last whereabouts.

Mother of three Emma Baum, 25, went missing Oct. 10 in Gary, Indiana, and she was about to give birth to her fourth child. 

Baum was last seen being dropped off at her boyfriend’s house, her sister Hailey Baum-Waddell told Fox News Digital. 

“Looking for Emma has been a very struggling thing for everybody, mentally and physically and emotionally … but we’re not going to stop looking for her,” Baum-Waddell said. “I think if people keep going on and chanting that something needs to be done and chanting her name … just get the word out because a lot of people know, but not everybody knows.”

Authorities received a missing persons report for Baum from her family Oct. 28, Gary Police Cmdr. Jack Hamady told Fox News Digital. 

“A couple of days went by. … We all started, like, messaging each other, ‘Hey, have you heard from Emma? Anybody seen her? Can you message one of her friends to get a hold of her boyfriend?’ And it was kind of just a ring around with everybody and everyone’s just trying to figure it out,” Baum-Waddell said.

“Then we’re like, ‘OK, well, this is not normal.’ … That’s when my mom really started to panic,” she added. “Then my mom ended up going to the police station.”

Officers with the Gary Police Department have used K-9s on several searches in the area, and the Lake County Sheriff’s Department has assisted in a few of the searches, Hamady said.

“We have searched a house, apartment, recreational vehicles and one other property,” he added.

In addition to the police investigation, Baum-Waddell said she and other relatives of Baum have been organizing a widespread search after a social media post of hers drew hundreds of willing participants. 

“There’s been a lot of people who have offered to come out and look for her,” she said. “We’ve talked it over with other search groups. I made a post online just saying, you know, ‘Hands of how many people would be willing to come out,’ and I posted it in multiple groups.”

Baum lived in Portage, Indiana, but was visiting her boyfriend in Gary when she was last seen.

Baum-Waddell said her sister didn’t have a working phone when she disappeared and that although her sister may have “gone off and done her own thing” for several days at a time, she would never disappear for such a long period of time.  

“That day, she was supposed to go with her boyfriend … to the phone store and get it activated, and she never got the phone activated,” she said. “She’s been completely silent on everything, and now that’s not like her.”

Baum-Waddell also mentioned her sister’s devotion as a mother and the close relationship she has with her oldest son.

“They have a freaking crazy, unbreakable bond,” she shared. “For her not to be here to see him on Christmas or Thanksgiving or …  New Year’s. It’s unreal. There’s no way she would do that to him.”

Baum-Waddell believes her sister’s boyfriend is “hiding something,” she told Fox News Digital, and Baum’s mother believes the boyfriend had something to do with her disappearance, WGN9 reported.

“We have not charged anyone with the disappearance of Emma Baum, and she has not been located yet,” Hamady said. “We continue to search and interview individuals that are or maybe associated with this case.”

Baum’s boyfriend, who was originally in custody in an unrelated case, was released from Lake County Jail and is awaiting his court date for the separate charges, Hamady added. 

Baum is approximately 5 feet, 3 inches tall, weighs around 136 pounds and has brown hair and brown eyes. She has several scars and tattoos, and she often wears colorful wigs. 

“Emma gave everybody her all, gave them all the love that she could,” Baum-Waddell emotionally said about her sister. “She has these big brown eyes, and she always just wanted to make everybody, you know, laugh or feel good about themselves or have them feel included.

“It’s very difficult because now it’s not just her that’s missing. It’s her baby. And you don’t want to think, you know, the worst because who would want to, you know, hurt a girl and her baby?” she added. “We’re just hoping to find her safe.”

Anyone with information on Baum’s disappearance is asked to contact the Gary Police Department at (219) 881-1209.