Ex-Principal, On Probation For Drugs, Now Faces Theft Charges
CROWN POINT, Ind. (STMW) - A former high school principal, placed on probation for 10 years for dealing in cocaine, has been charged with two counts of theft.
Michael Theodore Banham, 40, of the 2000 block of West 96th Place, Crown Point, was charged last week in Lake Superior Court with two counts of theft after the manager of the Tire Barn warehouse in Highland discovered a receipt for $193 that showed zero had been paid.
The manager tracked down the tires in the computer and contacted the customer, who he said he'd paid in cash, the probable cause affidavit states. Police also reviewed security footage from the Jan. 7 incident.
Contacted by the manager about what happened with the sale, Banham didn't say a word and hung up, court records state. He hadn't returned to work when the charges were filed Jan. 14.
Banham, a former Calumet High School principal, was placed on probation in April 2008 on the drug-dealing charge.
Banham testified against a co-defendant, Richard "Taco" Kelly, who was sentenced to 19 years in prison after his jury trial ended in mistrial.
In September, Banham had an interim sanction for a probation violation and was ordered to perform 20 hours of community service by Dec. 1 and enroll in a substance abuse program.
Prosecutors dropped a separate case against Banham in which he was charged with ramming and shooting at an SUV his estranged wife was driving in 2006.
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