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NORTH MANCHESTER -ÊFive people are in custody at the Wabash County Jail on charges related to the robbery and the July murder of a North Manchester man.
Thursday afternoon, the Indiana State Police arrested Jacob H. Malone Jr., 24; Harrison Shane Dickerhoff, 21; Samuel D. Sims, 22; Steven Dickerhoff, 21; and Kristie N. West, 21.
Malone, Sims and Harrison Dickerhoff, all of Peru, were booked into the Wabash County Jail on charges of murder and conspiracy to commit robbery, both Class A felonies.
West, of Royal Center, and Steven Dickerhoff, of Peru, were arrested on charges of conspiracy to commit robbery, a Class A felony.
All five are being held in the Wabash County Jail without bond, and will have initial hearings at 1 p.m. Tuesday.
Wednesday, the Indiana State Police received a tip that the five suspects allegedly robbed Leodegario M. Rodriguez, 30, who was found dead at his mobile home at 301 S. Mill St., North Manchester, around 4 p.m. July 12.
At least one of the suspects is believed to have known Rodriguez, and money was missing from Rodriguez's home at the time of his death.
After further investigation, the police questioned the suspects and developed probable cause for the arrests.
According to the coroner's report, Rodriguez's death was caused by a skull fracture from a blow to the back of his head. The coroner believes the death occurred around 10 a.m. July 12, the day his body was found.
Rodriguez's body was found by a neighbor around 4 p.m. the day of his death.
The murder is North Manchester's first since 1989 and remains under investigation.
Indiana State Police Detective Tony Fawley and North Manchester Police Chief David Young investigated the crime with the assistance of ISP Det. Dave Rich and Sgt. Tim Miller, the Miami County Sheriff's Department, the Miami County Prosecutor's Office and the Wabash County Prosecutor's office.
