Lungren Arrested As He Returns To City
Police receive phone tip about former city councilman, nabbed Saturday at Holiday Inn

Georgette Senter
The News-Dispatch

MICHIGAN CITY - Acting on a phone tip, police here took former City Councilman Chuck Lungren into custody late Saturday after he stepped off a United Limo Bus arriving at Holiday Inn of Michigan City, 5820 Franklin St.

Sought on a LaPorte County warrant after failing to report for probation, and on a Marshall County warrant after being arrested on a driving while intoxicated charge and failure to appear in court, police arrested Lungren, 56, at 11:30 p.m. Saturday.

Arresting officers Jason Holaway and Doug Samuelson took Lungren into custody without incident, the police report stated. He listed no home address and did not say from where he was coming.

Lungren, who was taken to LaPorte County Jail, must wait to hear from courts in LaPorte and Marshall counties as to his next appearances.

Contacted Sunday by The News-Dispatch, Mayor Chuck Oberlie said he had no comment on the matter.

The past few years for Lungren have been tumultuous.

In spring 2006, the then-councilman spent several days in jail prior to a court appearance, when he was sentenced to 150 days suspended and 150 days probation. He also was sentenced to an alcohol rehabilitation program and was ordered to use an ignition-interlocking device to prohibit him from driving while intoxicated.

Lungren was stopped in Marshall County on March 5 and arrested on a driving while intoxicated charge. He then resigned from the City Council. He failed to appear in Marshall County court and suddenly left Michigan City.

At the time of his first arrest in June 2005, he sent Michigan City citizens a letter of apology, stating, "I've come to realize that a lot of people are looking to me to cause positive change to our city. Please let me continue to do just that. My recklessness and stupidity have only tempered me to work even harder than ever before to make this city a better place to live. I'm so sorry, it won't happen again.

"Your most humble servant, Charles Lungren."

Contact Georgette Senter at gsenter@thenewsdispatch.com.

Lungren: ‘I wanted to turn myself in’
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Scot Squires, 1-866-362-2167 Ext. 13869 , ssquires@heraldargus.com


In exclusive jailhouse interview, former MC councilman fears his cancer is back, admits to thoughts of suicide

LA PORTE -- Former Michigan City councilman Chuck Lungren said he fled to the San Francisco, Calif., area in March because he feared his cancer was back and didn’t want to spend his last remaining days in jail.

But after more than four months on the run, Lungren said he decided to surrender to police. He was arrested Saturday in Michigan City before he could.

“I wanted to turn myself in, and I wanted to say hello to my girlfriend before I did it,” Lungren told The La Porte County Herald-Argus in an exclusive jailhouse interview Monday evening.

Police, who were tipped off by a caller, arrested Lungren after he arrived in Michigan City on a bus late Saturday night.

Lungren fled the area after failing to appear in Marshall County Superior Court on March 13 after his fourth arrest for drunk driving on March 5.

Saturday he was arrested for active warrants through Marshall County for failure to appear and La Porte County for probation violation.

Lungren believes his health is failing.

The 56-year-old, who said he sometimes smokes more than two packs of cigarettes a day, battled throat cancer before and fears it may be back, he said.

“I thought if I could hide for a year or two, I would be dead anyway,” he said. “I have no money to go to a doctor, no car, no house.”

Lungren was candid during the interview, conducted in a small cell inside the La Porte County Jail. He admitted to being an alcoholic and said he had considered suicide.

“While I was sitting in jail (in March), for a brief moment I contemplated suicide. It scared me a lot because I’ve never had any feelings like that in my life,” he said.

Of facing the consequences of his actions, he said: “The government has the right to protect individuals from drunk drivers. I have no problem with that. I was caught (drinking and driving). I should take the punishment.”

But, he said, “When the government tries to punish people for a disease instead of getting them help, that is wrong.”

He said the county needs an in-house treatment program for those with substance abuse problems.

“I didn’t know I was an alcoholic until I got arrested for drunk driving and started going to AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) in February of 2006,” he said.

‘I’m not whining’

Lungren said he had hoped to find work in California because he had trouble finding a job in Michigan City.

“I didn’t have a car to go anywhere because of the DUI,” he said.“ I only had my bike and it was wintertime. There wasn’t anything in Michigan City for me. It wasn’t like I wasn’t trying to get a job.”

Because he was wanted, though, he had difficulty finding employment in California as well.

“I couldn’t really work anymore. I can’t do a job application because I can’t put anything on it,” he said.

To make money, he sold fine China on eBay.

“I was actually starting to become very good. I had 400 items listed already,” he said. “A person I know had been collecting it. I would list it all and split the money.”

Lungren said he decided to return to Michigan City to own up to what he had done and get on with his life.

“I’m not whining. I got myself into this mess. I’ll face the punishment,” he said.

Now Lungren spends his days in a cell with no windows and a ceiling light that never shuts off.

At night, he sleeps on a mat on the floor next to the toilet, he said.

To his former constituents, the residents of Michigan City’s 1st Ward, he said: “I’m very sorry that I couldn’t finish the rest of my term, but I would have been inefficient if I had stayed there.”

Lungren Pleads Not Guilty
Former councilman given no bond for local, Marshall County charges

Georgette Senter
The News-Dispatch

MICHIGAN CITY - Former 1st Ward City Councilman Chuck Lungren made a video appearance from the LaPorte County Jail on Monday to face charges of probation violation in Superior Court 4.

Lungren, 56, pleaded not guilty of violating probation that was originally set in July 2006. At that time he was sentenced to three weekends of working on a road crew, but he failed to complete that part of probation.

Judge William Boklund ordered Lungren to remain in the LaPorte County Jail to serve 63 days for non-compliance with that part of his probation.

Boklund also said Lungren was to be held without bond and placed on a 15-day hold until Aug. 10, when he is to appear in court for a status hearing in his probation violation charge.

Michigan City attorney L. Scott Pejic entered an appearance on behalf of Lungren on his latest charges.

In March, Lungren was arrested in Marshall County near Plymouth, Ind., about 45 miles southeast of Michigan City, for driving a car while intoxicated.

He never showed for his initial court appearance and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest.

On Tuesday, the Marshall County prosecutor's office confirmed there was warrant for Lungren's arrest for failure to appear in court.

After his arrest in Marshall County, Lungren resigned from the City Council and left the area.

Lungren was arrested late Saturday night after returning to Michigan City.

When he stepped off the United Limo Bus at the Holiday Inn, 5850 Franklin St., city police took him into custody without incident.

He listed no formal address on the arrest report.



Contact Georgette Senter at gsenter@thenewsdispatch.com.

Sister: Lungren suffers seizure in county jail
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Scot Squires, 1-866-362-2167 Ext. 13869, ssquires@heraldargus.com


Photo: Herald-Argus photo
Michigan City Councilman Chuck Lungren speaks at a city council meeting in this Herald-Argus file photo.

Says staff slow to respond to medical needs of former MC councilman after Thursday morning incident

LA PORTE -- Former Michigan City Councilman Chuck Lungren suffered a seizure Thursday morning at the La Porte County Jail, according to his sister.

Debra Lungren of California said she’s now even more worried about her brother’s health.

“I’m personally concerned for him. His health is not good,” she said during a telephone interview Thursday evening.

Lungren, 56, apparently doesn’t remember much of what happened, but was informed of the incident by others in the jail, Debra said.

“He said he couldn’t move his back,” she said. “He’s never had a seizure before.”

Debra found out about the seizure when her brother contacted her Thursday.

“He said ‘I’m pretty scared right now. I don’t know what’s wrong,’” she said.

Debra said the seizure happened around 2 a.m. Other prisoners claimed it took guards about 15 minutes to respond and that Lungren was restrained during the half-hour ordeal, she said.

“A person should not go that long,” Debra said. “And you should never restrain a person having a seizure.”

She also said the jail is not feeding her brother enough, and he complains about always being hungry.

And, she said, “I’m appalled that they are going to wait until Monday before he sees a doctor.”

Citing privacy laws, jail Commander Capt. Dick Buell said he couldn’t confirm if Lungren had a seizure.

“I can’t talk about medical history,” Buell said. “But we are cooperating with his attorney.”

Sheriff Mike Mollenhauer also responded to the allegations of poor treatment at the jail.

“I know it would not take jailers 15 minutes to respond,” Mollenhauer said.

As for having to wait until Monday to see a doctor, the sheriff said, “If he needs a doctor, he’ll receive medical attention.”

Mollenhauer also said prisoners eat well at the jail.

“They get two hot meals a day and a cold meal in the evening,” he said. “I eat there myself.”

Although the exact status of Lungren’s health is unknown, the former councilman told The Herald-Argus during an exclusive jailhouse interview July 30 that he hadn’t been feeling well and is afraid his throat cancer may have returned.

Lungren was arrested July 28 by Michigan City Police officers after arriving on a bus from a Chicago airport. Police were apparently tipped off by another passenger.

Lungren had been wanted by police since failing to appear in Marshall County Superior Court 2 on March 13 following his fourth arrest for drunk driving on March 5.

He fled to California but returned to Michigan City to turn himself in, he said during the interview.

He was arrested for active warrants through Marshall County for failure to appear and La Porte County for probation violation.

Lungren Now Facing Marshall Co. Charges

Jason Miller
The News-Dispatch

PLYMOUTH - Former 1st-Ward Michigan City Councilman Chuck Lungren has finished serving time for a probation revocation in La Porte County and now awaits his fate in Marshall County.

According to Marshall County Jail records, Lungren surrendered to police there on Monday, then bonded out with a $1,000 cash bond the following day.

He's scheduled to appear in court in Plymouth on Nov. 2, according to the Marshall County Prosecutor's office. Lungren faces charges of driving while intoxicated and failure to appear in court.

Lungren was arrested in Plymouth in March for driving drunk. It was his third such arrest in two years and hastened his resignation from the city council.

He missed a scheduled court date in Marshall County, prompting officials there to issue a bench warrant for his arrest. Lungren spent several months in California before returning to Michigan City in August, when he was arrested as he got off a bus.

Chief Deputy La Porte County Prosecutor Atley Price said Lungren admitted his probation violation in La Porte County and was handed a 100-day sentence, with an additional 10 days added. Price said once Lungren's time was served, "everything was terminated," meaning Lungren is no longer on probation in La Porte County.

Lungren couldn't be reached for comment.

Contact Jason Miller at jmiller@thenewsdispatch.com.