New Chicago Police Chief Jailed After Selling Evidence Weapon
NEW CHICAGO, Ind. — The Lake County Sheriff’s Department has completely assumed all policing duties for the town of New Chicago following the arrest of Police Chief Earl Mayo in Ohio.
Mayo faces multiple severe felony counts stemming from accusations that he sold a handgun held in an active evidence locker to a local pawn shop and attempted to orchestrate a cover-up.
According to court records, Chief Earl Mayo has been officially charged with theft, official misconduct, attempted obstruction of justice, and unlawful possession of an anabolic steriod.
Mayo was booked into the Clark County Jail in Ohio after local authorities reported he attempted to evade arrest. The dynamic shifted rapidly when Lake County sheriff’s deputies and federal agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) went to Mayo’s home in Merrillville, seizing more than 100 firearms.
The investigation began last week when a Lake County sheriff’s police commander received a routine firearm trace request for a weapon associated with an upcoming criminal trial. Investigators discovered that the weapon in question—a Taurus G3 handgun—had been sold to Mega Cash Pawn in Hobart, Indiana.
Detectives found this highly unusual, as the firearm was supposed to be securely logged in an evidence vault. Further digging revealed that Chief Mayo himself had sold the weapon to the shop. Mayo had also served as the original arresting officer in the case tied to that exact firearm.
According to charging documents, the cover-up unraveled quickly. Mayo called a fellow New Chicago officer, ordering him to go to Mega Cash Pawn and secretly buy back the Taurus G3. Mayo also directed the officer to enter his Merrillville home to empty a safe containing suppressors and suppressed firearms, explicitly saying that he had things inside “the feds would never find.” The pawn shop manager later informed investigators that Mayo had a history of selling weapons to the business, with transaction records identifying Mayo as the seller of at least 12 different firearms.
A second individual, Taneka Borders, was also charged in connection to the corruption probe. When a Lake County Sheriff’s commander arrived at Mayo’s residence, they caught Borders at the front door attempting to destroy several glass vials.
Borders later admitted to investigators that Mayo instructed her to go to the property to clear out his supply of testosterone and steroids. She is currently accused of attempting to help Mayo recover the evidence gun. The pawn shop manager noted that a woman wearing an identical tracksuit to Borders had recently attempted to buy the Taurus G3 back from its new owner.
Mayo is the son of Indiana State Police Major Jerry Williams, who recently won the Lake County Democratic primary and stands as the nominee for Lake County Sheriff in the upcoming general election.
Major Williams released a statement addressing his son’s arrest:
“My wife and I and our family are deeply concerned over recent information regarding our son, Earl Mayo, of the New Chicago Police Department. We raised all of our children with love, guidance and a strong foundation of values… Under our criminal justice system, Earl is presumed innocent unless and until proven otherwise. We respect that fundamental principle… If it is ultimately established that Earl engaged in the conduct alleged by the government, then he must and should accept responsibility for his actions and face the consequences.”
With New Chicago’s police chief behind bars out of state, the Lake County Sheriff’s Department will continue to manage all law enforcement operations for the town indefinitely.
