Articles

Justices halt removal of Yorktown clerk-treasurer from office

Efforts to forcibly remove a Yorktown clerk-treasurer from her elected office faced a setback Wednesday when the Indiana Supreme Court affirmed a trial court’s decision finding the officer’s failure to keep track of town finances did not result in a general failure to perform her official duties.

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Suspended special needs trust lawyer faces more theft accusations

A suspended Greenwood lawyer criminally charged with stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from his former special needs trust clients around Indiana has been accused in new civil lawsuits of draining another $108,600 from several more trust funds. The additional alleged misappropriations by Kenneth Shane Service drive the alleged missing funds to more than $318,600.

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Split COA affirms suppression after faulty controlled drug buy

Police failure to search a party in a controlled drug buy in Muncie and a misleading affidavit to obtain a warrant were sufficient grounds to suppress evidence of cocaine subsequently found in a search of the home the buyer visited, the majority of an Indiana Court of Appeals panel found Wednesday.

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Daleville woman charged in son’s hot car death won’t get lower bond

A central Indiana woman who authorities say had been drinking and was taking a nap when her 2-year-old son crawled into a hot car and later died isn’t getting her bond reduced ahead of trial. A judge denied a request by Britni Nicole Wihebrink of Daleville to approve a lower bond after her 2-year-old son Jaxon Stults was found “very hot and stiff” in her car Sept. 5 and died in an ambulance.

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Lawyer accused of theft from disabled held without bond amid new charges

A suspended Indiana lawyer accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from disabled and special needs clients was held without bond Tuesday in the Johnson County Jail after authorities in at least two counties had issued warrants for his arrest. Kenneth Shane Service was arrested Monday and is likely to remain behind bars until he’s transported to await court dates in three Indiana counties where he currently faces felony theft charges.

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Muncie man gets 101 years after trying to kill ex with bomb

A Muncie man who tried to kill his former girlfriend with a homemade bomb has been sentenced to 101 years in prison. Lionel Ray Mackey, Jr. received a maximum sentence Monday from Delaware Circuit Judge Linda Ralu Wolf on convictions from two separate trials.

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Justices consider ouster of Yorktown clerk-treasurer

Choosing to forcibly remove an elected official from office is a weighty decision, one that requires government officials to go against the will of the voters — presumably for the public good. In theory, an impeachment occurs only when an elected officer has egregiously failed to perform his or her duties, leaving no choice but to force the official to vacate her office.

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Special needs trust lawyer faces another theft charge

A suspended Indianapolis attorney who specialized in establishing special needs trusts before he was accused of stealing from those clients is facing felony theft charges in another Indiana county. Kenneth S. Service, 45, was charged last month with Class D felony theft in Delaware County, where he is accused of stealing $23,622 from a former client, authorities said Thursday.

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Fort Wayne woman takes plea deal in threat against judge

A Fort Wayne woman accused of threatening to kill a judge has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor in a deal with prosecutors. Ida Mae Wilson appeared in a Delaware County court on Monday and apologized for saying she would shoot Judge Thomas Cannon Jr. in a phone call to her son, who was in jail. 

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Muncie pain clinic doc convicted of forgery, Rx offenses

A jury has convicted a Muncie pain clinic doctor on three counts each of forgery and prescription-related registration offenses. The Delaware Circuit Court jury deliberated less than an hour before finding William Hedrick of Fort Wayne guilty of the six counts.

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Appeals court orders Yorktown clerk-treasurer’s removal

The Indiana Court of Appeals has ordered the removal of the Yorktown clerk-treasurer from office after determining that her failure to properly reconcile the town books for four consecutive years warranted her removal. In response, the elected office holder has pledged to take her case to the Indiana Supreme Court.

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