Articles

Tow operator pleads guilty to bribing Portage mayor

A northwestern Indiana towing operator has pleaded guilty to a federal bribery charge alleging he paid a mayor $12,000 for a towing contract. John Cortina, 79, of Kustom Auto Body in Portage entered the plea Friday, three days before the public corruption trial of Republican Portage Mayor James Snyder is set to begin.

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Bar groups oppose grandparent visitation bill

The Indiana Senate Judiciary Committee is pumping the brakes on a bill that would allow grandparents and great-grandparents to seek visitation with their grandchildren despite estrangements with the children’s parents, with two notable Indiana bar association groups speaking out against the proposed legislation.

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Breakfast and bravos for pro bono attorneys

Despite a demanding caseload and the stress caused by the government shutdown, the judges and staff at the Southern Indiana District Court took time Thursday morning to treat their pro bono attorneys to a hearty breakfast and a thank you.
 

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State court suit aims to ban Indiana death penalty

A lawsuit naming Gov. Eric Holcomb filed on behalf of a prisoner on Indiana’s death row urges a state court to issue an injunction halting capital punishment and rule that the state’s ultimate criminal penalty violates the Indiana Constitution.

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SEC wins order to depose Canadian suspect in nearly $1M penny stock con

A Canadian accused in an Indiana federal court of a “scalping” scheme to fraudulently drive up the price of a penny stock while selling off his own shares for a profit of almost $1 million must answer questions in a U.S. deposition before the Securities and Exchange Commission, a judge has ruled. The SEC accuses Michael Skerry of New Westminster, British Columbia, of executing the scheme, in which regulators allege he profited by about $950,000.

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COA finds reasonable suspicion despite errant plate check

The Indiana Court of Appeals reversed a motion to suppress evidence when it found that despite a motorist proving a vehicle was properly licensed, the police officer who pulled the driver over during a traffic stop still had a reasonable suspicion to do so.

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Judge: State’s ‘bureaucratic quagmire’ harms disabled woman

The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration has 21 days to arrange home health care for an elderly woman with quadriplegia who has been confined to a hospital or nursing home since February 2016, a federal judge has ruled. The decision comes after the judge ruled previously that the FSSA’s failure to develop a home-based care plan violated the woman’s rights under three federal laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act.

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