Indiana police chief accused of selling pawn shop a gun being held as evidence

The chief of police in New Chicago, Indiana, stood accused Sunday of selling a pawn shop a gun that was being held as evidence and then trying to have it bought back, among other allegations.

New Chicago Police Chief Earl Mayo was charged with theft, official misconduct, and attempted obstruction of justice, as well as unlawful possession of an anabolic steroid, according to court documents.

Chief Mayo was booked Sunday as an inmate in Clark County, Ohio, after authorities said he tried to evade arrest.

Court documents said on Thursday, a Lake County, Indiana, sheriff's police commander received a firearm trace request for a gun associated with an upcoming criminal trial.

It turned out the gun, a Taurus G3, had been sold to a pawn shop in Hobart, Indiana, which a Lake County sheriff's detective said was unusual as the gun was being held as evidence in a criminal investigation, court documents said.

Authorities later determined that it was Chief Mayo who sold the gun to the pawn shop, Mega Gash Pawn in Hobart, court documents alleged. Chief Mayo was also the arresting officer in the case with which the gun was associated, court documents said.

Another New Chicago officer told Lake County Sheriff's detectives that he received a call from Chief Mayo asking him to go to the pawn shop where he had sold the gun and buy it back, court documents alleged. The officer said Mayo also told him to go to the chief's home and retrieve other guns, court documents alleged.

Specifically, Mayo wanted the officer to retrieve suppressors or suppressed firearms from a safe in the chief's house, according to court documents. The officer told investigators that Mayo had said he had things inside his home that the "Feds" would never find, court documents alleged.

Another person, Taneka Borders, was also charged in the case. Investigators said when a Lake County Sheriff's commander went to Mayo's Merrillville, Indiana, home, they found Borders at the front door of the house.

Investigators said Borders tried to destroy several glass vials, and when questioned, she admitted that Mayo had told her to go to his home and collect his testosterone and steroids, court documents alleged.

The manager of the Mega Cash Pawn in Hobart told investigators that a woman came to buy back the Taurus G3 from its new owner while wearing a tracksuit like the one Borders was wearing when questioned by investigators, though the manager did not identify her.

The charging document against Borders accuses her of trying to help Mayo obtain a gun.

Meanwhile, the manager of the pawn shop said he had purchased multiple guns from Mayo in the past, and documents listed Mayo as the seller of 12 guns to the pawn shop, court documents alleged.

Chief Mayo's father, Jerry Williams, is the Democratic nominee for Lake County sheriff. He released the following statement Sunday:

"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. We've always held our children to higher standards, as we have ourselves.

"We are aware there are allegations that are troubling, and we struggle to reconcile them with the values we worked so hard to instill in all of our children and grandchildren.

"Under our criminal justice system, Earl is presumed innocent unless and until proven otherwise. We respect that fundamental principle, and it is important that the legal process be allowed to proceed fairly and impartially.

"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.

"This is an extremely difficult and emotional time for our family. Given the seriousness of this matter and the ongoing legal proceedings, we cannot comment any further on the undisclosed details of this situation."

It was also found that Chief Mayo wrote a self-published book titled, "When Lines Are Crossed: Love, Trust, Betrayal" - a story about a bad cop turned good battling his morals.

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