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Attorney and Democratic candidate for Gibson County Prosecutor William R. Wallace III was indicted Tuesday on charges of
obstruction of justice, possession of child pornography, patronizing a prostitute, and false informing.
In March, a former client and employee of Wallace’s went to the Gibson County Prosecutor’s Office to file a complaint
that she learned he had videotaped the two of them having sex without her permission, said special prosecutor Jonathan Parkhurst.
Wallace had recently invited the woman’s boyfriend over to his house and shown him a tape of the two having sex. Wallace
later denied having the tape or showing it to her boyfriend.
An Indiana State Police investigation revealed that Wallace met his client in fall 2009 when she was in jail and offered
to represent her in a civil case out of Vanderburgh County. The woman’s mother paid Wallace $200 dollars, but the total
bill was $750. Instead of paying the remainder of the bill, the woman claimed Wallace said he would write off the money owed
if she had sex with him.
The two met the night she was released at Wallace’s friend’s apartment and had sex, Parkhurst said.
When police arrived to execute a search warrant of Wallace’s house, Wallace denied having sex with her or that there
was any video of it. A detective also caught Wallace in his garage with DVDs, CDs, and an external hard drive stuffed down
his pants. Police also searched the apartment where the two had sex.
While searching the computers, the detective discovered what could be child pornography, so a separate search warrant was
executed and police found at least two pornographic videos involving young children.
The grand jury met Tuesday and returned four indictments just after 5 p.m. – obstruction of justice as a Class D felony;
possession of child pornography as a Class D felony; patronizing a prostitute as a Class A misdemeanor; and false informing
as a Class B misdemeanor.
Wallace turned himself in late Tuesday after being advised by Gibson Superior Judge Earl G. Penrod to do so at the sheriff’s
department. Wallace posted a $500 cash bond Tuesday night. Wallace’s initial hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. July 2.
According to Wallace’s election website, he worked as Princeton City Attorney from 1993 to 2000 and also worked in
private practice and as director of the Homeless Project for Indiana Legal Services in Evansville. He is currently deputy
public defender in Vanderburgh Superior Court and Democratic nominee for Gibson County Prosecutor. He was admitted to the
bar in 1991, according to the Indiana Roll of Attorneys, and has no prior disciplinary actions.
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