In a surprising turn of events, Earl Mayo, the police chief of New Chicago, Indiana, found himself under arrest in Ohio on Friday, with charges now formally filed against him.
Law enforcement officers in Clark County, Ohio, took Mayo into custody, marking a significant development in this unfolding story.
ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch
By Sunday, the charges against Mayo were officially announced in Lake County, Indiana. He faces accusations of official misconduct, obstruction of justice, theft, and possessing an anabolic steroid unlawfully.
The situation came to light when Mayo’s father, Jerry Williams, who is a major with the Indiana State Police and a candidate for Lake County sheriff, confirmed his son’s arrest on Saturday.

In the course of the investigation, authorities conducted a search of Mayo’s residence in Merrillville.
Efforts to gather further details have been made, with ABC7 reaching out to officials in New Chicago for additional comments and insights.
Williams released the following statement on Saturday:
“My wife and I and our family are deeply concerned over recent information regarding our son, Earl Mayo, chief 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 have very little information about this incident at this time. 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.”
This is a developing story. Check back with ABC7 for updates.
The video in the player above is from a previous report.
Copyright © 2026 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.