Gary men stole furniture, appliances from Cedar Lake home

CEDAR LAKE — Two Gary men are in custody after they were caught driving a U-Haul filled with allegedly stolen furniture and appliances from a recently-sold home in Cedar Lake's Lakeside subdivision.

Jeffrey Roche Jr., 48, and Shadell Peyton, 47, were charged Friday with felony burglary and theft of property exceeding $50,000, Level 4 and 5 offenses, respectively.

Cedar Lake police officers responded Wednesday to a burglary report in a home in the 13500 block of Lakeside Boulevard, a developer model house in the town's Lakeside subdivision. In a subsequent investigation, police learned the home, which had recently sold, had been fully furnished and had appliances but that someone had entered the house overnight and stole everything inside.

Stolen items included all furniture and appliances, the furnace, water heater and AC unit, police said.

A Ring doorbell camera from a nearby home showed a U-Haul box truck entered the subdivision Tuesday at approximately 7:15 p.m. Police suspected it was used to transport the stolen items. Using license plate reader technology, Cedar Lake investigators determined the truck, rented by Roche, entered Cedar Lake at 7:14 p.m. Tuesday.

The department notified Lake County agencies of the wanted rental truck and at approximately 3 p.m. Wednesday, Gary police initiated a traffic stop on the suspected vehicle. Roche, driving at the time, and passenger Peyton were taken into custody by arriving Cedar Lake officers.

Items allegedly from the burglarized house were found in the truck, police said.

Both men are in custody at the Lake County Jail without bail, online court records show.

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