Former Employee Charged With Stealing Money From the Lake County Clerk’s Office
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office was assigned to investigate a theft that occurred at the Lake County Clerk’s Office in Crown Point. The suspect was identified as Jamese Estelle Lewis.
Lewis was employed with the Lake County Clerk’s office from February 2024 until January 2025.
The Clerk’s Office was first alerted to the thefts when a person that was paying his fees had a warrant issued for his arrest, alleging that he did not pay the full amount owed. The investigators were informed by the Clerk’s Office that a male came to turn himself in on the warrant, and displayed an authentic receipt for more than what the Clerk’s Office had in their system. According to court documents, the LCSO was advised, and provided with video footage, that Lewis was collecting currency from the customers that were coming into the office to pay fees. Lewis would write the customer a receipt for the full amount, and then Lewis would reprint a receipt for a lesser value and keep the remaining amount of money for herself. These thefts occurred from September of 2024 through Lewis’ termination in January of 2025. According to court documents, the preliminary amount discovered missing was $2,440.
During a police interview, Jamese Lewis admitted to stealing funds from people who came to the Lake County Clerk’s Office to pay their fees. When questioned why Lewis stole the funds, Lewis replied that she stole the money because she was faced with being evicted from her house.
Jamese E. Lewis has been charged on March 7, 2025, with:
Official Misconduct: F6 Felony
Theft: F6 Felony
