LAKE STATION, Ind. — Two men face felony charges in a January armed robbery at a Boost Mobile store on Central Avenue. Investigators say stolen phones later turned up at ecoATM kiosks in Indianapolis — and those sales helped build the case months later.
Key facts
| Key facts | |
|---|---|
| Charged | Milton Leroy Harvey III (Indianapolis); Deandre Leshone Williams (Gary) |
| Robbery date | About 4:16 p.m. Jan. 18, 2026 |
| Store | Boost Mobile, Central Avenue, Lake Station |
| Taken | Numerous cellphones; about $529 cash |
| Charges filed | Sept. 4, 2026 |
The charges are accusations. Neither man has been convicted.
The robbery
Lake Station Police answered a call around 4:16 p.m. Jan. 18. Officers found an employee confined in a rear office. The worker told investigators two men entered, one showed a handgun, and phones plus about $529 in cash were taken, Region News Source reported.
The employee said the suspects ordered him to put his hands up, press his face to a door, then lie on the floor before locking him in the office. Surveillance allegedly showed one man displaying what looked like a handgun while the second handled property and helped clear the store, the affidavit summary states.
How phones led to charges
Detectives pulled a list of stolen phones. Many matching devices were sold through Indianapolis ecoATM kiosks soon after the robbery, court filings say.
- Harvey conducted nine cellphone transactions between Jan. 19 and Feb. 3
- Records allegedly included his photo, driver’s license data, signature, and fingerprint verification
- Multiple phones sold by Harvey were confirmed stolen from the Lake Station store
- Additional phones matched other devices on the store’s stolen inventory list
- Several sales landed Jan. 19 — within hours of the robbery
Kiosk video allegedly showed Harvey in a black hooded sweatshirt with white drawstrings, jeans, black-and-white shoes, and a winter cap. Investigators said that matched one robbery suspect on store video.
A Jeep Grand Cherokee also appears in the filings. Camera records allegedly placed a matching vehicle in Lake County before the robbery and in Indianapolis while Harvey sold phones from the haul, according to the Region News Source account.
Charges filed Sept. 4, 2026
Milton Leroy Harvey III
- Armed robbery — Level 3 felony
- Criminal confinement while armed with a deadly weapon — Level 3 felony
Deandre Leshone Williams
- Armed robbery — Level 3 felony
- Criminal confinement while armed with a deadly weapon — Level 3 felony
- Unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon — Level 4 felony
Court documents state Williams has a previous 2020 armed robbery conviction in Monroe County, Indiana — the basis cited for the serious-violent-felon firearm count, Region News Source reported.
Region News Source drew its Sept. 10 account from Lake County court documents. Bond amounts and next hearing dates were not reported in that coverage. Region N3 will update when arraignment, bond, or further court action is reported.
Photo credit
- Inline figures from Region N3 stock gallery / file (illustrative; not crime-scene originals unless noted)
- Photo: Region News Source — Image from original coverage of this story.