CROWN POINT â In a rebuke of the Lake County Commissioners over the recent renewal of an electronic monitoring contract, Sheriff Oscar Martinez referenced three escapes that he says happened under the watch of the company that was awarded the contract.
In each of the instances, which occurred between April 2019 and September 2019, Martinez said the escaped offenders who were on court-supervised release committed serious crimes. The discord between the sheriff s office and the monitoring company has been longstanding.
In May 2019, Martinez barred the monitor ankle bracelet company, ICU Monitoring Inc., and its employees from entering Lake County Jail after two escapes in which the detainees were on court-supervised release and wearing GPS ankle bracelets monitored by the Merrillville-based company.