Hobart woman robbed by man posing as utility worker

An elderly Hobart woman told police a man recently entered her home uninvited on the pretext of a water utility problem and while she went outside with him, two other men took items from her house, police said.

About 7:30 p.m., the victim told police she received a phone call from a neighbor telling her some suspicious men came to his home, in the 7700 block of Dakota Street, asking about his utilities and tried to get him to exit his house.

The victim said as she was trying to reach another neighbor, someone knocked on her door and she answered it.

She described the person as a “chubby” male Black, over 6 feet tall with a chipped front tooth. He wore khaki pants and a Bears hat. He told the woman he was with the water company and she had to stop drinking her water immediately.

As he entered her home, he told her to trust him because he’s a Christian. She went outside with him and noticed he communicated with someone else on a walkie talkie device.

A short time later he ran away and entered a vehicle with two other people parked in her driveway.

She told police when she reentered her house, silverware and rings were missing.

A neighbor told police he saw three men leave in a dark Jeep Cherokee, traveling with its lights off at a high rate of speed in the 7800 block of Colorado Street.

Police began pursuing the Jeep, which drove through red lights down U.S. 30 to Interstate 65 to Interstate 80/94 and west to Kennedy Avenue.

Police said the driver continued north on Kennedy, driving through several streets then onto the Indiana Toll Road, west to the Dan Ryan Expressway. Hobart police halted the pursuit and were able to obtain a partial plate number on the temporary tag — L135.

If anyone has any additional information, contact Sgt. Robert Brazil, 219-9424666 or by email at rbrazil@ cityofhobart.org.