🌱 Man Collects Dead Mother's City Pension + Local Man Killed In Crash

Hello, everybody. It's me, Danielle Fallon-O'Leary, your host of the Lafayette Patch newsletter — here to tell you all the most important things happening in town these days.

But first, your local weather:

• Monday: Nice with sunshine. High: 86 Low: 61.
• Tuesday: Hot with partial sunshine. High: 91 Low: 64.

Here are the top three stories today in Lafayette:

1. Walkerton resident Bryan Lee Brown is facing charges after allegedly collecting his deceased mother's pension for three years, resulting in an $84,000 loss for the city of Lafayette. Prosecutors claim that Brown, who had power of attorney over his mother's affairs, failed to notify the city of her passing in September 2019, allowing the pension payments to continue. The Indiana Public Retirement System will not reimburse the city; Brown has been charged with theft, forgery, and fraud, although he has not yet been booked into the Tippecanoe County Jail as of the time of publication. (Journal & Courier)
2. Police have identified the victim of a recent single-vehicle crash in North Dakota as Kevin Hancock, a recent resident of Lafayette. According to the North Dakota Highway Patrol, Hancock was likely traveling back to his previous hometown of Pollock, South Dakota on a gravel road when his vehicle lost control of a hill and overturned into a ditch. Though he was wearing a seatbelt and was not ejected from the vehicle, Hancock eventually succumbed to his injuries sustained in the accident on Jul. 5. (INForum)
3. On Thursday, the Lafayette Police Department released additional information regarding the resignation of former officer Keith Earnest following allegations of using racial slurs. According to the department, another LPD officer and his wife witnessed "racial slurs and socially intolerant behavior" from Earnest at a Jan. 30 social event, prompting the officer to submit an internal complaint on Feb. 1. Earnest was subsequently placed on administrative leave while the department completed its internal investigation. (Yahoo! News)

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Today and tomorrow in Lafayette:

Monday, July 10

• Meet Paddington Bear At Tippecanoe County Public Library, Klondike Branch (11:00 AM)
• Lafayette Common Council Regular Meeting At Common Council Chamber (6:00 PM)

Tuesday, July 11

• Purdue Women's Club - Jewelry Making Group At Tippecanoe County Public Library, Wyandotte Branch (1:30 PM)
• Paint & Print Party At Tippecanoe County Public Library, Downtown Branch (2:00 PM)
• Music For Art In The Park At Columbian Park Island Stage (5:30 PM)

From my notebook:

• Heads up, local house hunters! Here are five more houses to hit the real estate market right here in Lafayette, including a four-bedroom, three-bathroom on Chivalry Drive for under $350,000. (Lafayette Patch)
• In case you missed it: the Bicentennial Nature Park is currently closed through Friday, Jul. 14 at 12:00 p.m. for those attending Camp WACK (Water Adventures for Kids). (Tippecanoe County Indiana)

You're all caught up for today. I'll see you around!

— Danielle Fallon-O'Leary

About me: Danielle Fallon-O’Leary is a content manager with content creation agency Lightning Media Partners and assists Patch.com with community newsletter curation. Danielle also holds a Master’s Degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders and works part-time as a pediatric speech therapist.