A man and woman who were hosting a party at their Chesterton residence got into a fight and ended their night in the Porter County Jail.
Keshawn Lamar Stephens, 27, and Tiffany Amber Wilfong, 30, who live in the 900 block of S. 19th Street, were both charged with Level 5 and Level 6 felony counts of domestic battery and a Level 6 charge of neglect of a dependent, because a minor was present.
Stephens was charged with an additional misdemeanor for invasion of privacy because he violated a Porter County court order that stated he was not to have contact with Wilfong. Stephens had been previously charged with a battery offense involving Wilfong, according to online court records.
The liquor was flowing at the Saturday, Dec. 20, party as one witness told police that she saw Stephens strike Wilfong multiple times in the head and face, according to a probable cause statement filed in Porter Superior Court.
Chesterton Police were first alerted to the residence on a 911 hang-up call. Wilfong came to the door and told a Chesterton Police officer that she didn’t call and their help wasn’t needed.
But a few minutes later, Wilfong called the Chesterton Police back and stated that Stephens had bear-hugged her when she asked him to leave, and that in self-defense she had grabbed a pair of scissors and stabbed him, the court record said.
Stephens had fled, Wilfong said, and officers left after they searched the immediate area and couldn’t find him.
Police returned on a third call to the residence and officers discovered a ” trail of blood” that led them to an upstairs bathroom, where Stephens was hiding in a bathtub, the court record states.
“I placed a tourniquet on Keshawn’s arm and he was transported by medics to the hospital for treatment,” said Chesterton Police Cpl. Darren Conley in his probable cause statement. Stephens then joined Wilfong at the Porter County Jail.
Wilfong has posted a $1,500 bond while Stephens is still in jail.
Jim Woods is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
