Noblesville school shooter’s parents deny responsibility
The parents of a 13-year-old boy who opened fire in a Noblesville West Middle School classroom last year say they could not foresee his actions and deny any responsibility for them.
Courts
Articles
Hendricks Judge Freese faces discipline charges
A Hendricks County judge and former leader of the Indiana Judges Association is facing disciplinary charges stemming from allegations that he appointed a friend as trustee of an estate case, then failed to take prompt action upon learning that the man was not fulfilling his duties and was possibly stealing from the trust.
Scotty’s Brewhouse founder faces new investor lawsuit for alleged fraud
Two large shareholders in the company behind local restaurant chain Scotty’s Brewhouse have filed a lawsuit against its founder, Scott M. Wise, alleging that he made false statements and failed to properly register their shares, causing the investors to lose more than $1 million.
Senate Judiciary Democrats hold over federal judicial nominees
In holding over nearly 50 judicial nominees Tuesday, including two renominees for the Northern Indiana District Court, Democrats on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee called for a return to the traditions of honoring blue slips and relying on the American Bar Association’s evaluations.
Marion County courts closed Wednesday due to cold
Marion Superior courts will be closed Wednesday due to predicted dangerously cold arctic conditions, the courts announced Tuesday. The closure was made official by order of Marion Circuit Judge Sheryl Lynch.
Judge to DOC: Restore credit time for ‘unreasonable and arbitrary’ sanction
The Department of Correction must restore nearly six months of lost credit time to a Westville inmate after a federal judge determined the inmate’s disciplinary loss of credit time was “unreasonable and arbitrary.
Split justices uphold ruling for insurer in truck crash that killed 3
Justices of the Indiana Supreme Court decided in a 3-2 vote last week to let stand a ruling that an insurance company owes no duty to victims of a truck crash in which the driver knowingly operated the vehicle with faulty brakes.
Acting AG Whitaker says Russia probe ‘close’ to being completed
The special counsel’s Russia probe is “close to being completed,” the acting attorney general said in the first official sign that the investigation may be wrapping up. Meanwhile, the sixth former Trump aide indicted in the probe is due to make his initial court appearance today.
Indiana Senate backs law change after school shooting
The shooting at Noblesville West Middle School last year has legislators looking to change state law so that children as young as 12 could face attempted murder charges in adult court.
AG Hill joins Indiana as amicus against ‘subjective’ handgun permitting
Indiana Attorney General Hill has signed the state on to an amicus brief urging the United States Supreme Court to take a case that could decide the constitutionality of may-issue firearm permits requiring citizens to meet subjective standards to publicly carry a weapon.
Student’s suit against Butler in sex misconduct case voluntarily dismissed
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals granted a motion to dismiss a case against Butler University brought by a male student who claimed he was falsely accused of sexual misconduct and expelled from the school as a result.
Ex-state employee loses disability discrimination appeal
A former of Department of Insurance employee fired after engaging in a verbal altercation and making crude comments about another employee has lost her disability-discrimination appeal before the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Tax Court: JW Marriott’s appeal in 8-year-old assessment case premature
The owner of the downtown Indianapolis JW Marriott Hotel prematurely appealed its 2010 real property assessment with the Indiana Tax Court because a lower reviewing authority had not yet been given its full statutory time to review the matter, the Indiana Tax Court ruled Friday.
Stone accused of lying and witness tampering, but not collusion
Donald Trump confidant Roger Stone may be accused of lying and tampering with witnesses, but it’s equally notable what he’s not charged with: colluding with the Kremlin in a grand conspiracy to help Trump win the presidency in 2016. The case is the latest in a series brought by special counsel Robert Mueller that focuses on cover-ups but lays out no underlying crime.
Justices grapple with refiling of similar CHINS case
As Indiana’s executive and legislative branches work to implement reforms in the Department of Child Services and boost funding, the judicial branch is also reviewing the department in a case that could decide whether child welfare cases are subject to res judicata.
Man’s 33-year sentence, admission of heroin evidence upheld
A man who allegedly held two women against their will and beat them in his Fort Wayne home and later was found holding heroin lost his appeal Friday. An appellate court rejected his challenge to the admission of evidence against him as well as his appeal of his aggregate 33½-year sentence.
Reversal: Children placed in father’s care weren’t CHINS
Three Tippecanoe County minor children age 5 and younger who were cared for by their father after they were found home alone in their mother’s home should not have been adjudicated children in need of services, the Indiana Court of Appeals held Friday in reversing the juvenile court.
COA: ‘pleasant’ drug defendant was properly Mirandized
A drug offender who received kudos from the trial court for her pleasant demeanor had her conviction and sentence affirmed by the Indiana Court of Appeals after she could not present any evidence that police failed to ensure she understood her Miranda rights.
COA: Mom owes no college funds after child’s repudiation
A mother whose infidelity led to divorce and what a trial court called a “deep, seemingly bottomless rift between the children and Mother” owes a daughter no support with college expenses because the child repudiated their relationship.
Public Defender Commission seeks funds for misdemeanors, appellate office
Guided by a task force report that calls for major reforms to Indiana’s indigent defense system, the Indiana Public Defender Commission is seeking additional funds in the state’s next biennial budget to improve defense services for indigent clients.