4 Men Allegedly Held Woman Captive for Hours to Steal Stimulus Check

Paul David Blankenship, Phillip David Guzman, Bottom row, left to right: Christopher William Jay Henderson, Jacob Baughman. (Lake County Jail)

Police arrested four men who were accused of attempting to rob a woman for her pandemic stimulus money.

An unnamed woman drove to Lake Station Police Department in Indiana to report that she was held in her home by four men that she knew, reported the Times of Northwest Indiana and Fox59.

She alleged the four broke into her home at 1:30 a.m. before stealing her phone, adding that one of the men had a gun, according to officials. The men recently knew she had received her pandemic stimulus check and wanted to rob her,

The woman said they left her home after holding her captive for several hours. She then went to the police station but said the men told her they would return.

Paul David Blankenship, Phillip David Guzman, Christopher William Jay Henderson, and Jacob Baughman were arrested later that day, police told the Times of Northwest Indiana. They face charges of burglary with a deadly weapon, attempt to commit armed robbery, criminal confinement while armed with a deadly weapon, burglary of a dwelling, and residential entry break and enter.

The four are currently being held on $75,000 bail.

Under the recently passed stimulus package, many Americans are eligible for up to $1,200, couples are eligible for $2,400, and children can get $500. The Treasury Department last week said tens of millions of Americans received their stimulus cash.

The Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) also launched a “Get My Payment” portal that allows people to see when their money will be deposited or when a check will be mailed. The website will also confirm if the IRS will send the money in the mail or via a direct deposit.