CIRCUIT COURT: Elkhart man facing burglary, intimidation charges

Mar. 30—GOSHEN — A domestic situation turned dangerous after an Elkhart man allegedly broke into his ex's house for an undetermined reason.

Cristian Gomez Benitez, 33, Elkhart, had an initial hearing in Elkhart County Circuit Court Thursday on charges of burglary with a deadly weapon, intimidation with a deadly weapon, domestic battery with a deadly weapon and invasion of privacy.

According to a probable cause affidavit, Cristian Gomez Benitez, 23, Elkhart, allegedly violated a restraining order against his former partner, of which has two children, March 24.

Police responded to a call at a home at 1128 Whitfield Court in reference to Gomez Benitez allegedly inside the home with a gun, and in violation of a restraining order, at 2:18 p.m. The victim said he entered the home without permission and entered the kitchen, threatening her, before going upstairs to the bedroom, and that he had not been to the home since he was arrested in January, the charging affidavit reads.

In January, Gomez Benitez was charged with invasion of privacy and violation of a restraining order from an ongoing domestic battery case with the victim.

On March 24, when Gomez Benitez entered the home, the victim told police that she and the children left the home as soon as he went upstairs, and contacted police, despite Gomez Benitez's warning not to, and went to Victim's Assistance, the affidavit reads.

Police searched the home and found Gomez Benitez lying on a bed in a bedroom. A gun was found the bathroom wedged between the fan and a light fixture, the affidavit reads.

During Thursday's court proceedings a preliminary plea of not guilty was entered on behalf of Gomez Benitez.

CHARLES BORUM

A man accused of camping out in an Elkhart home Feb. 23 filed a motion to enter a guilty plea following court Thursday.

According to a probable cause affidavit, officers arrested Charles Borum, 64, Elkhart, after the owner of a Lambert Court home came home and found his living room in disarray, with food, trash, and cigarette butts on the ground at 10:15 p.m. Feb. 24.

The owner of the home, James Rose, told officers he was in another state helping his brother fix up his own house and no one was supposed to be at the home he owned at 123 Lambert Court, Elkhart.

Rose also noted hundreds of dollars worth of food missing, but nothing else, and found no one else in the home at the time. Officers found a backpack in the living room and found documentation for Charles Borum. They later found Borum passing by the garage into the backyard of the home, the affidavit reads. Borum initially denied entering into the home, but later told police he was inside, but only for one day, according to court documents.

DWAYNE PERKINS JR.

A status conference took place for an upcoming robbery trial.

Dwayne Perkins Jr., 26, is charged with a Level 3 felony count of armed robbery. He and another man, Adren Jefferson, are charged with holding up an employee at gunpoint at a 7-Eleven store, 2220 Elkhart Road, in January 2017.

Perkins is also charged with armed robbery.

The case is set for jury trial June 19.

LOVELL FREDRICK

An Elkhart man informed Elkhart Circuit Court Judge Michael Christofeno during court proceedings that while his bond hearing was scheduled for Thursday, he was choosing to forego it.

Lovell Fredrick, 34, Elkhart, is accused of sexual battery and burglary dating back to Feb. 27.

* According to an affidavit from Elkhart police, Fredrick entered an apartment on Sycamore Street in Elkhart and touched a sleeping woman's mouth with his pcausing her to wake up, a probable cause affidavit said. The victim said she did not know Fredrick nor invite him over, but despite her door being locked, Frederick also brought a large number of personal items with him and they were laying on the floor at the top of her steps, per the affidavit. The victim said she called 911 immediately after being awakened and officers arrested a man they found inside the apartment, and took him into custody. The man reportedly offered several variations and spellings of the name Brian Richard Welks, police stated in their report. It was a name that police later learned was not his own.

The man also reportedly told officers, "All I was trying to do was take a shower. This is a big misunderstanding," and said that he gets his mail at the post office because he stays in several places. The man eventually told them his name, Lovell Fredrick, and agreed to speak with a detective, telling the detective that he knew the victim's brother, the affidavit reads. Investigating officers said the apartment door appeared pried open.

Lovell's jury trial is scheduled for Oct. 2.

Dani Messick is the education and entertainment reporter for The Goshen News. She can be reached at dani.messick@goshennews.com or at 574-538-2065.