Former Indiana sheriff Jamey Noel pleads guilty to 27 felony charges

IL file photo

Former Clark County Sheriff Jamey Noel pleaded guilty to 27 of 31 felony charges in court Monday as part of a plea deal in a massive corruption case that could land him in prison for more than a decade.

Noel, a prominent Hoosier Republican, was charged with more than two dozen felonies for allegedly misusing money from the fire and EMS departments which he oversaw.

A plea agreement submitted to the Clark County Circuit Court shows Noel agreed to plead guilty to charges of theft, money laundering, corrupt business influence, official misconduct, obstruction of justice and tax evasion.

Four charges of ghost employment were dismissed as part of the agreement.

Noel faces a 15-year prison sentence, with three of those years suspended to probation if the deal is approved by the judge, according to the plea agreement. He would get credit for time served, beginning June 8.

Special Judge Larry Medlock, of Washington County, said Monday he wants to hear from victims affected by Noel’s actions before making a decision.

Special Prosecutor Ric Hertel, of Ripley County, said in a news briefing after the plea hearing that a sentencing hearing could take more than a day to allow for victims to testify in open court.

“I think that an agreement to 15 years of sentence—at least proposing to the court and the judge—we’ve come a long way since the initial hearing back in November of 2023,” Hertel said.

“I feel like there’s been a lot of time and a lot of effort and a lot of heartache, trying to take into consideration the folks in Clark County, the victims in Clark County … ,” Hertel continued. “I think that (Noel) going to prison for 12 years, if the judge accepts this agreement, should be a pretty big deterrent for a guy who lived a lifestyle that he lived leading up to this. .. It’s about to be a wake-up call if the judge accepts this agreement.”

Plea deal now in judge’s hands

Additionally included in the plea deal is an agreement for Noel to pay back more than $3.1 million in public funds: $2,870,924 to the Utica Volunteer Firefighters Association; $61,190 to the Clark County Sheriff’s Department; $173,155 to the Indiana Department of Revenue; and $35,245 to the Indiana State Police.

Noel agreed to the plea deal nearly a year after he was arrested and Indiana State Police investigators raided his home in southern Indiana.

Noel posted a $75,000 bond in November, but has been held in the Scott County jail since April after Medlock raised his bond to $1.5 million. The case was originally scheduled to go to trial in November.

Using findings from a long-term Indiana State Police investigation, state prosecutors alleged Noel used millions of taxpayer dollars from the Utica Volunteer Firefighters Association and New Chapel EMS to buy cars, planes, vacations, clothing and other personal luxury purchases. Investigators said public funds were also used to pay for college tuition and child support.

The disgraced former sheriff is additionally accused of tasking county employees with jobs related to his personal collection of classic cars. At least 40 vehicles were confiscated by law enforcement, including a bevy of classics, such as two 1970 Plymouth Superbirds, a 1959 Corvette and 1966 and 1968 Chargers, according to search warrant returns.

Court documents further point to at least $33,000 worth of public funds used by Noel to make contributions to various Republican candidates and campaigns between 2020 and 2023.

Noel’s wife, Misty–who has since filed for divorce from her husband—and daughter, Kasey, separately face charges of theft and tax evasion. Both have pleaded not guilty.

On Monday, the judge set a trial date of Oct. 28. Medlock said the trials can be combined if the two sides can agree on how to handle the jury pool.

Other pending cases

Earlier this year, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita lodged two civil cases in an effort to force Noel to pay back the state agencies he allegedly took public funds from to pay for personal spending.

In one lawsuit, Rokita said Noel should be required to reimburse the Clark County jail commissary fund more than $900,000 for “funds misappropriated, diverted, or misapplied”, which were cited in an audit report filed by the State Board of Accounts in February.

Rokita also requested a restraining order that would temporarily restrict Noel from selling real estate properties, stocks and bonds, vehicles, firearms, clothing and jewelry while the attorney general’s legal challenges are pending.

A May court ruling prohibited the Noel family from selling any assets. The civil cases are still ongoing.

Medlock said Monday the “job is not finished.” Although he would not say for certain, the prosecutor seemed to leave the door open for other charges to be filed against additional individuals associated with Noel.

Clark County councilperson John Miller and former councilperson Brittney Ferree, who Noel shares a child with, are the latest to face charges in relation to the corruption case. Both are accused of voting in favor of funding appropriations for the fire and EMS service while they received personal benefits paid for by the service’s funds.

Miller and Ferree were arrested last week and both pleaded not guilty in court Monday morning. Medlock set a pretrial hearing for February.