All,
At 12:22 p.m. on November 6, a Michigan City Police officer was called to a home on Earl Road for reports of an unconscious person. When the officer arrived, he discovered Michigan City Fire Captain Mellen unconscious. Witnesses at the party told police and EMS that Mellen was drinking when he fell off his chair and hit his head. Mellen was transported to the hospital.
At 1 p.m., police were dispatched to Franklin Street for reports of a man with a bloody hand.
When the officer arrived at 1:11 p.m., he located Austin Swistek visibly impaired, trying to get into his vehicle, reports said. Swistek’s hand was bloody. The officer walked Swistek back to the party on Earl Street, which was hosted by firefighter Darren “Scott” Kaletha.
Outside the Earl Street home, the officer spoke with Firefighter Brad Kreighbaum and said they can’t let Swistek drive because he was intoxicated. At 2:12 p.m., an officer was dispatched to the hospital for a battery report. The victim was Austin Swistek. Swistek told police he had been beaten by Kaletha and Kreighbaum at the Earl Street home.
Swistek had a cut on his hand, a cut on his eyebrow, multiple fractures to his face and his nose was broken, reports said. He also had an abnormal level of alcohol in his system. Swistek told investigators that about 15-20 minutes after the ambulance left with the captain, Kaletha hit him while they were near the kitchen door. Swistek said he was choked and punched during this assault. He tried to leave the house through the back yard when the second assault happened, reports said. Kaletha and Kreighbaum both beat him up in the backyard. When officers spoke with Kaletha, he told them about a video Swistek had made during the party.