It took a jury 90 minutes to find a Porter man not guilty of a felony charge of drug dealing in a trial where the defense argued entrapment.

If he'd been found guilty of the class C felony, Aaron Lloyd Shelby, 24, of the 1400 block of West Beam Street, faced up to eight years in prison for selling 13 Klonopin pills to a childhood friend who was working as a confidential informant for the Porter County Drug Task Force.

In closing arguments, Porter County Deputy Prosecutor Ellen McKenna said that Shelby had said in testimony that he gave Michael Draves the 13 prescription pills and received $25, and McKenna said Draves knew he'd be able to buy the pills because Shelby flashed them around in bars and poker games and let people know he'd sell them.

Defense attorney Larry Rogers argued that Draves was doing drug deals for the Drug Task Force to get leniency for criminal charges against him and set Shelby up, asking for pain killers for a medical issue and giving him the money for them.

The prosecution didn't prove that Shelby sold drugs any other time, Rogers said.

A Hamlet, Ind., man accused of stealing a wallet and handgun from a Burns Harbor vehicle and using the credit cards from the wallet is wanted on a Porter County warrant for three level 6 felonies.

Joseph K. Potchen, 36, of the 500 block of North Starke Street, faces up to two years and six months on each of the two counts of theft and on the one count of fraud, and he's to be held on $2,000 cash bail bond when arrested on the warrant, court documents said.

The alleged theft occurred Oct. 10 from the unlocked Jeep Cherokee, and the residents reported a wallet and a 9 mm Smith and Wesson missing, court documents state.

Police reported that they identified Potchen from footage of various security cameras where he used the credit cards, including spending $55.49 on gas and cigarettes at a Burns Harbor gas station, trying to spend $112 on chips at Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City and spending $213 on a roofing nailer at the Merrillville Menards, the probable cause affidavit states.

A Valparaiso man accused of stealing his girlfriend's debit card this summer and threatening her if she told police has recently been charged with two felonies and faces up to two years and six months in prison on each.

Jordan John Hile, 21, of the 300 block of Nathan Terrace, allegedly took the card while visiting the female at her home and left abruptly on July 1, then called her and told her he took it and threatened her with physical violence if she called police, the probable cause affidavit states.

He later used the card at an ATM in the Miller section of Gary to withdraw $700 total, courts documents state.

Hile is charged with level 6 felony theft and level 6 felony intimidation, court documents state.

— Staff reports