The chief of police of a small Indiana town has been detained and accused of stealing firearms from criminal investigations and selling them to a pawn shop.
The head of the New Chicago Police Department in Lake County, Indiana, Earl Mayo, 45, was detained in Ohio on Friday and is charged with avoiding arrest.
Theft, governmental misconduct, attempted obstruction of justice, and illegal possession of anabolic steroids are among the charges brought against him.
According to court records WGN was able to get, Mayo, who is also the son of Democratic Lake County Sheriff candidate Jerry Williams, allegedly sold several firearms to a pawn shop in April 2025.
When a prosecutor ran a firearm trace on a weapon connected to an ongoing criminal prosecution in 2023 for a woman accused of carrying a handgun illegally and having a prior felony conviction, the investigation into Mayo got underway.
According to the lawsuit, the trace showed that the gun was sold at Hobart’s Mega Cash Pawn on April 29, 2025.
Mayo, the arresting officer in the initial case, allegedly sold the gun to the store, according to investigators.
The manager of the pawn shop allegedly informed authorities that in April 2025, the store paid $2,610 for 12 weapons from Mayo.
Earl Mayo, the new chief of police in Chicago, was detained on Friday and accused of stealing firearms from criminal investigations and selling them to a pawn shop.
Mayo is also the son of Jerry Williams, a Democrat running for Lake County Sheriff and a major in the Indiana State Police (middle).
Mayo allegedly tried to get the rifle bought back by several people, according to the prosecution.
According to the lawsuit, a New Chicago Police Department officer told investigators that Mayo had requested him to buy back the pistol and that the chief had urged him to go to his house and get suppressors or suppressed rifles from a safe.
According to the court filing, Mayo allegedly told the officer that he had “things inside his residence that the feds would never find.”
The community of about 2,000 people was taken over by Lake County police after Mayo, who was named chief in 2023, was put on administrative leave.
The crime rate in New Chicago is 36.32 per 1,000 people, according to CrimeGrade.org. Theft and property crime account for the majority of crimes; violent crime is extremely rare.
Mayo, who also wrote the book When Lines Are Crossed, is being detained at Ohio’s Clark County Jail pending extradition.
When he will be returned to Indiana is unknown.
The Chicago Tribune received a statement from his father, a major in the Indiana State Police, on Saturday.
Mayo, who was named chief in 2023, is charged with selling a firearm from an incident in which he was the arresting officer to a pawn shop in April 2025.
Mayo (seen with family) allegedly tried to get the rifle bought back by several people, according to the prosecution.
He is charged with fleeing arrest after being taken into custody in Ohio on Friday.Theft, official misconduct, attempted obstruction of justice, and illegal possession of anabolic steroids are among the charges against him. “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,” Williams stated.
Taneka Roshawn Borders, a 47-year-old woman, has also been accused by prosecutors for allegedly assisting Mayo.
According to court filings, she is accused of attempting to purchase the rifle back on Mayo’s behalf.
When a detective visited the pawn shop on May 22 to confiscate the gun, they claim to have seen Borders, a lady wearing a pink tracksuit.
According to the affidavit, the investigator was informed by the pawn shop employees that Mayo had called to say the woman was coming to pick up the gun.
According to court records, Borders showed up at Mayo’s house wearing the same pink tracksuit when police arrived.
She allegedly informed authorities that Mayo had asked her to destroy vials of steroids and testosterone that he had at home.
