A Hobart man is accused of driving his minivan into his relatives’ home late Monday afternoon on the outskirts of Valparaiso.
Deputies with the Porter County Sheriff’s Department were called about 4:50 p.m. to a home in the 2400 block of Burlington Beach Road in Center Township.
Police said the man, 53, of the 3700 block of Maitland Street, was transported to Porter Regional Hospital for an evaluation. Authorities are asking for a warrant for his arrest on misdemeanor charges of criminal mischief and criminal recklessness.
The man was alone in the minivan and was not injured. Two people were inside a bedroom on the northeast corner of the home, the part of the house that was struck by the van, and also were unhurt.
Police said there were tire marks in the snow from the road and turning into the house. A witness inside the house told police he saw the man’s van drive through a ditch in front of the residence. He said he heard its engine rev when the man tried to avoid getting stuck in the ditch, then watched the van drive up the east side of the lawn but lost sight of it just before it rammed into the house, according to the police report.
The van caused about $2,340 in damage to the home, police said, including a wall, a bedroom window, drywall, and the siding on the east side of the structure.
— Amy Lavalley
