Woman charged with killing Hammond pedestrian
A Chicago woman is facing charges for allegedly hitting and killing a man in 2022 in Hammond.
Teneshia V. Jackson, 39, was charged Monday with level 4 felony leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death or catastrophic injury.
She has not yet been apprehended, according to court records.
Hammond police arrived just before 10 p.m. June 20, 2022, to the 1500 block of Chicago Street for a man lying unresponsive in the street.
The victim was identified as Ruben Melendez.
The force threw him in the air and he hit a utility pole, according to court records. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
East Chicago city cameras captured a black
GMC Yukon hit Melendez, braked and swerved, before taking off, according to the affidavit.
A license plate reader recorded the plate number.
An investigator found more footage showing a woman wearing a navy baseball hat, black tank top, gold necklace, and light colored ripped jeans with a bright pink purse.
The woman went to a cigar shop on Chicago Street for 90 minutes before leaving via the bar next door. She and a man, the cigar shop owner, talked near the SUV before she hopped inside and drove off.
The vehicle was registered under Quality Mindset Services, LLC. The owner also owned the cigar shop.
Chicago police pulled the vehicle over on the 4700 block of West North Avenue on June 27. The driver said he was “told” to take it to a chop shop.
The SUV was impounded and taken to the Hammond Police Department.
After a search warrant, a witness confirmed the photograph of the woman was Jackson, who worked for Quality Mindset Services and was allowed to drive the SUV.
An anonymous tipster on Oct. 5 identified the female driver as Jackson and there was a video on Facebook showing her speaking at a Dolton, Illinois, Village Board meeting. The caller claimed Jackson’s boyfriend was the man who owned the cigar bar.
Dolton police Chief Robert Collins identified her alleged boyfriend who frequently went to board meetings. He thought the woman was Jackson, but couldn’t be sure.