UPDATE: Murder case dismissed against suspect in shooting outside Matey's Bar
UPDATE TWO: The State of Indiana filed a motion to dismiss the case against Cevin Crawford, who was charged with Murder.
The court granted that request on Aug. 19 and dismissed the case without prejudice.
The Michigan City Police Department released the following statement regarding this case:
"Crawford’s charge of murder was dismissed; however, he is still a suspect in this ongoing homicide investigation. He has since been transferred to federal custody for a federal offense. I can’t say much else at this point other than the investigation has expanded and additional information is being processed. Once complete, all new information will be turned over to the prosecutor’s office for review and determination of applicable charges."
We'll continue to update this story as more information becomes available.
UPDATE: Court documents from La Porte County reveal Cevin Crawford's trial is scheduled for Oct.14.
Crawford requested and was granted a speedy trial at his initial hearing on Aug. 7.
Crawford pleaded not guilty, and his final pre-trial hearing is set for Sept. 11.
ORIGINAL STORY: MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. -- The Michigan City Police Department reports a suspect has been identified, arrested, and charged in connection with the Aug. 3 shooting death of 25-year-old Dante Sellers, of La Porte, outside of Matey's Bar.
Investigators say the suspect, 27-year-old Cevin Crawford of Michigan City, was identified after collecting evidence and interviewing several witnesses.
The La Porte County Prosecutor's Office formally charged Crawford with one count of Murder, a Felony, after investigators presented their case.
Crawford was held without bond until his initial hearing Thursday morning. This investigation is ongoing and additional criminal charges are expected.
Crawford was arrested on Tuesday evening after being spotted by members of the La Porte County Drug Task Force at a gas station on the south end of town. Crawford was then pulled over and detained.
Authorities' initial investigation revealed that Sellers had been involved in an argument while at the bar on Aug. 3. As he was walking to his vehicle, parked across the street, gunshots rang out and Sellers was shot.
Officers arrived on scene to find Sellers at a parking lot entrance with a gunshot wound. Life-saving measures were performed before he was taken to a local hospital and transferred to University of Chicago Hospital for advanced care.
Sellers was pronounced dead on Monday.
