Men try to steal Indiana woman’s stimulus money by holding her against her will: police

Four men allegedly broke into a woman’s home early Sunday in northwest Indiana and held her against her will in an attempt to steal her stimulus check money, prosecutors say.

The alleged break-in happened about 1:30 a.m. while she was sleeping in her Lake Station home, according to a court document from the Lake County state’s attorney’s office.

The armed men, who she knew, used a stolen key to enter and woke her up, the court document states.

They took her phone and demanded money, which they knew she just got from a stimulus check, according to Lake County police Chief James Richardson.

One of the men, Christopher Henderson, allegedly pointed a gun at her face and released its clip to show her it was loaded, the document states.

He allegedly told her, “these are for you,” referring to the bullets, according to the document.

Frustrated after not finding the money, another man, Phillip David Guzman, assaulted the woman before the others restrained him, according to the document.

The men left about 6 a.m. and threatened the woman not to leave because they would return, Richardson said. Instead, she drove to police and reported the incident.

Later that day, police arrested Henderson, Guzman, Paul David Blankenship and Jacob Baughman, Richardson said.

They are charged with burglary with a deadly weapon, attempted armed robbery, criminal confinement with a deadly weapon, burglary, and breaking and entering, according to court records.

Blankenship has been ordered held without bail, while the others are being held on $75,000 bails, court records state.

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