Indiana
Indiana mom allegedly boards school bus and attacks 14-year-old student for bullying her son
An Indianapolis mom allegedly barged onto her son’s middle school bus with her teen daughter and beat the boy’s alleged 14-year-old bully so badly that the child suffered a broken nose.
Latea Hentz, 36, her daughter, 17, and son, 13, were caught on the bus’s security camera and in viral videos taken by students allegedly attacking an 8th-grade student in Warren Township, a suburb of Indianapolis, on March 6, Fox 59 reported, citing court records.
As the incident unfolds, the Warren Township School bus driver can be heard telling Hentz that no parents were permitted on the bus.
However, Hentz allegedly told the driver she was coming on and to call the police as the three of them made their way over to the student.
Her daughter and son “immediately started fighting” the 8th grader, Fox 59 reported.
“Beat his a–, beat his a–,” Hentz screamed as she and her children punched the student in the mob attack.
Hentz and her daughter then allegedly began yelling threats at the other children on the school bus, who were pleading for the trio to stop their attack.
At one point, the 17-year-old allegedly turned to a 10-year-old girl on the bus and asked if “she wants some too,” the IndyStar reported, citing court documents.
Hentz and her children stopped beating the 8th grader as police arrived.
However, on the way out of the bus, she allegedly made an open threat to other students and said, “I’m going to tear this up,” and “I’m tired of you b–ch ass kids.”
She claimed to police that the victim was bullying her son for several weeks and had slapped him the day before the attack.
Hentz claimed that her son’s school was aware of the bullying but had done nothing to stop it.
Police said that the 14-year-old was beaten so severally by the Hentz and her kids that when he was taken to Riley Children’s Hospital for treatment, doctors determined his nose was fractured, and his left eye was bruised and swelled.
He was later interviewed by the Warren Township police’s child abuse department, where he revealed a different account of what happened leading up to and during the March 6 attack.
The victim, who is half-Mexican, told investigators that Hentz’s son had been picking on him and had been making “racist jokes” and making “comments about ICE,” according to court records.
He then claimed that “he had been jumped by a mom and her kids.”
Hentz had initially been charged with misdemeanor battery, disorderly conduct, intimidation, and trespassing following the incident.
However, on Tuesday, the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office charged the mother with four felonies: Criminal Confinement, Battery Resulting in Moderate Injury, Intimidation, and Criminal Trespass.
Hentz’s two children are also facing possible criminal charges concerning the fight as officials continue to investigate the incident, according to prosecutors.
Indiana
Young male dead after shooting on Indy’s northeast side
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Police say one “young man” is dead after a shooting at the 1200 block of Rue Rabelais at about 7:19 p.m. according to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
That is near the intersection of 56th Street and Binford Boulevard.
Police say the victim was taken to Riley Hospital where he later died. Investigators say they are still working to identify the victim.
There was no known information about a suspect. Police did say that they believe this is a targeted incident.
There was no other information immediately available.
This story has been updated with information from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
Indiana
Mother and boyfriend accused in death of 4-year-old boy found in closet
This story contains descriptions of distressing circumstances involving children.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – A mother and her boyfriend were accused of causing the death of a 4-year-old-boy found dead in a basement closet on Monday.
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department arrested Angel Lovely, 37, and Nicholas Bergdoll, 36, on preliminary charges of neglect of a dependent causing death. The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office by Friday had not filed formal charges.
A sibling found the 4-year-old dead on Monday, according to investigators. Lovely and Bergdoll were in the home at the time but told police they were asleep when he died.
Born premature with cerebral palsy, the 4-year old couldn’t walk, was nonverbal, and ate through a feeding tube. Lovely claimed she would rarely put the child in the closet, only “when he won’t stop screaming” or when she “needed a break.”
But when investigators interviewed Lovely’s three other children, they said that the boy “stays in the closet all day,” and that “mom locks him in the closet” and “does not pay attention to him.”
An exact cause of death hasn’t been determined, but the child was found with blood in his mouth. Lovely said he’d been aspirating.
One of Lovely’s children told investigators they heard the 4-year-old gagging but didn’t say anything because it wasn’t unusual.
A neighbor living on Monticello Drive, Michelle Johnson, told News 8, “It’s horrible. It breaks my heart.”
Johnson had seen the other children outside the home but never knew there was a boy in a wheelchair living there. She said if she suspected they were being neglected, she would have called police or the Indiana Department of Child Services.
“We’re supposed to be a village and raise kids together,” Johnson said. “That’s really heartbreaking.”
Bergdoll told police, according to the investigators’ report, that he didn’t agree with putting the child in the closet: “I am not going to tell her how to f****** raise her kids.”
“I’m sickened,” IMPD Public Information Officer Tommy Thompson told News 8 in an interview.
“Think about putting yourself in that situation. Every day, do you want to be in a closet? Locked up, no light?”
Court records show the Department of Child Services had removed the boy from Lovely’s care because of medical neglect, but she regained custody last year against DCS recommendations.
Thompson, the neighbor, hopes the tragedy can be an opportunity for others to speak up when they see a child who can’t speak up for themselves. “Maybe you’ve got to make that tough phone call. Reach out. The city has resources.”
Johnson wishes she would have known what was happening so she could have said something. “Children don’t have a voice and we’re supposed to be their voice.”
Help is available for victims of domestic violence, child abuse, and sexual assault. Below is a list of suggested resources, both national and local:
Indiana
Police arrest suspect in Westfield homicide
WESTFIELD, Ind. (WISH) — Police have arrested someone in connection to a homicide earlier this month in the Hamilton County city.
In a Friday night social media post, the Westfield Police Department announced the arrest but gave no details, including who was arrested or what preliminary charges the person may face.
“Due to the active nature of this case, limited details are available for release at this time,” the post said.
As WISHTV.com previously reported, James “Matt” Lushin, 47, was found dead shortly after 7:25 p.m. March 12 with trauma at his home in the 3900 block of Westfield Road, also known as State Road 32.
Social media posts from the scene showed police tape and emergency vehicles at a red brick house between Shady Nook Road and Gray Road.
Lushin’s obituary said the Kokomo native was a key partner with the real estate investment company, FLF Property. The obituary also said, “Matt was also a respected and accomplished member of the international poker community. He traveled the world competing in tournaments and built an impressive and successful career.”
Police have previously said the death was believed to be isolated, posing no ongoing threat.
Officials have not released a specific cause or manner of death.
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