Ice Cream Heist Melts Down For Gary Man After Surveillance Catches Late-Night Scoops
A 34-year-old Gary man is facing multiple charges after investigators say surveillance footage captured him repeatedly stealing large quantities of ice cream from delivery trucks behind a Griffith business and causing vehicle damage before leaving the scene, according to court records.
Christopher Charles Stewart, 34, of Gary, was charged in Lake County following an investigation into reported thefts at Auto Frost on Griffith Boulevard. According to the probable cause affidavit, a manager reported noticing ice cream missing from delivery trucks over several weeks and installed cameras behind the business. Surveillance footage allegedly showed a light blue Honda hatchback pulling behind the shop at multiple times on December 18 and December 19, with a white male exiting the vehicle, opening access panels on delivery trucks, and removing boxes of ice cream and loading them into the car.
Court records state additional footage captured the suspect in daylight, allowing clearer observation of the vehicle and the individual’s face. Investigators reported that the vehicle appeared to drive through a grassy easement and squeeze between a utility pole and a neighboring business’s box truck, causing damage. The neighboring business reported fresh landscaping and vehicle damage that had not been present the night before, according to the affidavit.
Investigators later identified the vehicle through license-plate reader data and located it parked at a Gary address with damage consistent with what was seen in the surveillance footage. Police reported that Stewart was identified as the suspect through prior law-enforcement records and comparison of surveillance images with BMV photographs.
According to court records, Stewart agreed to speak with police after being advised of his rights. Investigators reported Stewart initially provided a timeline of his whereabouts that did not match what was observed on surveillance footage. When asked whether anyone else had been driving the vehicle over the previous several days, Stewart reportedly told police “no.”
The affidavit states Stewart first told investigators he had not gone to Auto Frost the night before. When questioned again, he reportedly said he went there “to check what was over there” but claimed he did not take anything. Investigators then reported Stewart later admitted he had “taken things,” but claimed the items came from a “leaking truck near the dumpster.”
Police reported Stewart told investigators that a co-worker had informed him he could go to the business once a week and take ice cream, though he said he could not remember who that co-worker was. Stewart later claimed he had only taken “melted boxes” of ice cream and believed that if the truck doors were open he was allowed to take anything inside.
According to the affidavit, Stewart told police he sold the ice cream to a gas station at 25th Street and Clark Road and admitted he had been taking ice cream for approximately two weeks, stating he had taken “12 cups.” Investigators confronted Stewart with surveillance footage showing him removing box after box of ice cream from the delivery trucks.
The business manager told police no one was authorized to remove ice cream from the trucks and confirmed no employees had permission to give away products. A product list provided to investigators reportedly totaled $6,200.22 in stolen ice cream. Court records also state Stewart was issued a trespass warning from the business.
Court documents state investigators located a prior theft conviction from 2016 while reviewing charging records.
Charges filed December 20,2025:
• Theft, Level 6 Felony (prior theft or conversion conviction)
• Theft, Level 6 Felony (value of property between $750 and $50,000)
• Leaving the Scene of an Accident, Class B Misdemeanor
