Naked Illinois Woman Arrested After Arson In Porter County
On June 7th, around 1 PM Porter County Officers responded to a residential fire in the 700 block of Dodge Trail in Jackson Township.
On arrival witnesses informed officers of a naked female who ran out the burning house and fled the driveway in an Illinois plated vehicle. After a quick search a vehicle matching the description was located down the block unoccupied. Police began to canvass the area on foot using a K9 and quickly found a female matching the description in a nearby backyard.
The woman now identified as 44 year old, Veronica Nekesa Makokha, advised officers she works as a home health nurse, and that she was going to Dodge Trail to do a check up on one of her patients. She claimed an older man resided at that address. Veronica stated she knocked on the front door and received no answer, so she went to the rear of the residence where she opened an unlocked door and entered the home. Veronica informed officers that she began looking for the man inside the home, first going into the basement, adding that she could smell smoke inside the house. Upon going upstairs to the main level, Veronica visually observed smoke, to which she ran to the second level to keep looking for the man. Veronica advised she was unable to locate her client and began exiting the burning home. She added the gown she was wearing had caught on fire, so she had ripped it off, leaving her in only underwear.
Veronica advised she quickly got in her car and left to try and find help from the neighbors. When asked why she had driven the vehicle into the backyard of another home, she advised she inhaled too much smoke from the house fire and must have been confused. Veronica stated she then exited the vehicle to try and find water for her burning throat, adding that she had left the car’s air conditioning on for the dog that was in her vehicle. Veronica stated the dog was not hers and that she obtained it from a different client’s house earlier in the day, adding that this client was also not home. Neighbors advised police the residents of the house that was on fire were on vacation and no man by the name Veronica gave lived there.
Veronica was checked out at the hospital and then transported to the Porter County Jail. Veronica Nekesa Makokha of Hazel Crest, IL was arrested for Arson (Level 4 Felony) and Burglary (Level 4 Felony). Veronica is also charged with Residential Entry (Level 6 Felony) for a second burglary that occurred where she was found which was reported later while she was already in jail.
