Guardian of slain officer's son's estate charged with theft

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) - An Illinois woman who oversees the estate of a slain Terre Haute police officer's son has been arrested for allegedly stealing more than $200,000 from the boy's estate.

Josie M. Huff, 31, of Robinson, Illinois, was arrested Thursday on one felony count of theft, Indiana State Police said. She was being held at the Crawford County Jail in Robinson, but will be moved to Sullivan County, Indiana, and held on a $15,000 bond, state police said.

Huff is guardian of the estate for her child, who is the son of late Terre Haute Police Officer Robert Shawn 'œRob'ť Pitts, who died in a May 2018 shootout as officers were pursuing a homicide suspect.

State police said investigators received information from a family member that Huff had misused and misappropriated funds for 'œself-gain" totaling $248,653.81. After reviewing the investigation, Sullivan County Prosecutor Ann Mischler obtained an arrest warrant.

Online Indiana court records do not list an attorney who could speak on Huff's behalf.

Pitts, 45, was with fellow officers searching for homicide suspect Christopher Wolfe on May 4, 2018, when they encountered Wolfe entering an apartment just south of Terre Haute, a city about 70 miles (113 kilometers) west of Indianapolis.

Pitts, a 16-year veteran of the Terre Haute Police, was shot by Wolfe during an exchange of gunfire. Wolfe, 21, later died of a gunshot wound he received in the shootout.