Neighbor charged in 85-year-old's death

KOKOMO, Ind. (WISH) - A neighbor has been arrested in connection with the slaying of an 85-year-old Kokomo man earlier this month, police said.

The Howard County Sheriff’s Department said Bradley S. Ryan, 37, who leaves near Lonnie Lewis’s home at 1104 Miller St., told someone – who later told police - about a plan to enter Lewis’s home, hit Lewis on the head and rob him. Lewis was found dead Aug. 15 inside his home, with injuries that may have contributed to his death, police said.

Ryan, who lives in the 2500 block of East Foster Street, claims to have worked in and around Lewis’s home, police said, but Lewis had told his family and friends in recent months that he suspected Ryan had been stealing money from his home, police said.

Ryan was arrested Thursday afternoon at the Howard County Sheriff’s Department.

The investigation is ongoing, and official autopsy and lab results are pending. Anyone with information about the case should call Det. Ernie Shivey at the sheriff’s department, 765-465-2031, ext. 274.