Lake County Supervisory Deputy Prosecutor Nadia Wardrip said her office came close to dismissing the cases against Olson last year because of a lack of cooperation from the victims.
LAGRANGE â An Elkhart man sentenced to prison for his role in the armed robbery of a Howe homeowner nearly five years ago was denied a plea to have his sentence modified.
Joseph Phillips is one of the four people convicted of the June 2016 home invasion and armed robbery of former LaGrange resident and former LaGrange County Commissioner Phil Curtis.
Phillips was with Alan Anyul, Milton Garcia, and Shandale Rogers, all of Elkhart, as they broke into Curtisâs home early in the morning, roused him from the couch where he was sleeping. They threatened Curtis with a handgun, demanding he open a safe they found in the home. The armed robbers didnât realize Curtisâs wife was sleeping upstairs and she managed to call the police. All four men were arrested and charged in connection with the robbery. Anyul and Rogers are all serving 20-year prison sentences. Garcia, said by police to be the ringleader, was sentenced to 30 years behind bars.