Lakes of the Four Seasons man charged with theft from Merrillville Fire Department

Chicago Tribune

02-05-2025

A Lakes of the Four Seasons man charged in January with stealing a police military vehicle has a new warrant out on him for stealing money from the Merrillville Fire Department.
The fire department in March 2024 took one of its fire trucks to Hoosier Diesel and Off-Road, 9070 Louisiana St. in Merrillville, for preventative maintenance, Indiana State Police spokesman Sgt. Glenn Fifield said in a release Thursday.
The shop owner, David Matthew Shephard-Hambrick, told the department that pieces of metal were found in the oil and that it would require extensive repair, Fifield said.
Shephard-Hambrick told fire administrators the estimate for a new engine would be approximately $60,000 and then requested an advance payment for a new engine in the amount of $43,705.80, for which the town of Merrillville cut a check March 22, 2024, Fifield said.
For the next year, Shephard-Hambrick told the fire department there was an issue with one company building the new engine, but he would be able to get one from another company, Fifield said. By February, the department discovered Shephard-Hambrick never ordered the new engine, at which point it had the fire truck towed to another repair shop.
That repair shop discovered that not only did the truck not need a new engine, but that Shephard-Hambrick did little-to-no work on the engine at all, Fifield said. The second shop then completed the maintenance and charged the town around $10,000, he said.
The Lake County Prosecutor's office, as a result of the ISP's investigation, has charged Shephard-Hambrick, 42, with theft, a Level 6 felony, Fifield said. A warrant has been issued for his arrest.
Merrillville Town Council President Rick Bella didn't respond to a request for comment by press time.
Merrillville Police Chief Kosta Nuses in January asked the Indiana State Police to investigate after they discovered Shepard-Hambrick took a police MRAP home, the Post-Tribune previously reported.
Cops responded at 11:18 a.m. on Oct. 4 to his house. He told cops he took employees to his home because he had to move his stuff.
Nuses told ISP Shepard-Hambrick's company didn't end up working on the vehicle; it was serviced somewhere else.
The armored vehicles – a personnel carrier meant to better protect troops against roadside bombs – were introduced during the Iraq War.