Drugs - The Indiana Lawyer

Jeffersonville man incompetent again for trial in gruesome killing

January 7, 2020 | Associated Press

A southern Indiana man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend and eating parts of her body has once again been found incompetent to stand trial in the 2014 slaying, months after his first trial ended in a mistrial. An agreement between Joseph Oberhansley’s defense attorneys and Clark County prosecutors stipulates that he is to be transported to a state hospital for competency restoration, based on two evaluations filed in December by psychiatrists.

2 charged in man’s fatal beating in Indiana forest face joint trial

January 2, 2020 | Associated Press

Two men accused of beating a man to death with a pipe in a northern Indiana forest are facing a joint trial in April.

SCOTUS, district courts see increased filings in last year

January 2, 2020 | IL Staff

The number of cases filed in the United States Supreme Court and federal district courts increased in the last year, while the regional courts of appeal saw a slight filing decrease, according to Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.’s 2019 Year-End Report on the Federal Judiciary.

Illinois sees first legal sales of recreational marijuana

January 2, 2020 | Associated Press and IL Staff

The sale of marijuana for recreational purposes became legal Wednesday in Illinois to the delight of pot fans — many who began lining up hours early at dispensaries. Meanwhile, legislative leaders in Indiana remain opposed to marijuana legalization in the Hoosier state.

Lilly wins another patent infringement case over cancer drug Alimta

December 31, 2019 | John Russell and Indianapolis Business Journal Staff

Eli Lilly and Co. has won another patent-infringement lawsuit against a competitor who was preparing to launch an alternative form of the chemotherapy drug Alimta prior to its patent expiration in May 2022.

Legal marijuana sales may spark Midwest interstate tension

December 30, 2019 | Associated Press and IL Staff

Retailers legally selling marijuana for the past month in Michigan say they have drawn customers from surrounding Midwestern states where the drug remains illegal and, as Illinois prepares to joins the recreational market on Wednesday, officials are renewing warnings to consumers against carrying such products over state lines.

Civil forfeiture amendments don’t defeat prior forfeiture action, COA says

December 27, 2019 | Olivia Covington

Legislative amendments to Indiana’s much-debated civil forfeiture scheme did not defeat a pre-existing forfeiture action in state court, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Friday, finding the amendments did not constitute an ex post facto law.

COA: No Fourth Amendment violation in traffic stop search

December 27, 2019 | Olivia Covington

A man convicted on drug charges after an Evansville traffic stop has lost his appellate argument that evidence of the drugs was wrongly admitted because the evidence came from an unconstitutional search.

Illinois man gets 55 years in stabbing of cousin in Indiana

December 26, 2019 | Associated Press

An Illinois man has been sentenced to 55 years in prison in the 2017 murder of his cousin, who was stabbed 63 times and found near a road in Indiana. Derrick Lavelle Wandrick, 36, was sentenced in Kosciusko Circuit Court Monday for the murder of 21-year-old David Lamont Strowder Jr.

COA: Dealing statute not unconstitutionally vague

December 19, 2019 | Marilyn Odendahl

A Huntington County man who called the local sheriff and said he “was strung out on meth and to come get him and take it all out of his house,” unsuccessfully argued before the Indiana Court of Appeals that the statute under which he was convicted was unconstitutionally vague.

Paroled killer who asked agent to help find meth pipes loses appeal

December 19, 2019 | Katie Stancombe

A paroled killer who admitted to smoking meth and then asked law enforcement to remove the pipes he smoked from his home so his girlfriend wouldn’t find them did not convince the Indiana Court of Appeals on Thursday that those statements were inadmissible.

Conviction reversed for would-be drug sale at casino

December 19, 2019 | Olivia Covington

A man suspected of trying to sell look-alike substances at an Indiana casino has had his drug-related conviction reversed, with the Indiana Court of Appeals finding insufficient evidence to dispel a claim of a Fourth Amendment violation.

Southern District gets more than $2 million in DOJ funds to fight opioid crisis

December 16, 2019 | IL Staff

Funding amounting to more than $2.4 million has been granted to agencies in the Southern District of Indiana to help combat drug and crime concerns stemming from the opioid crisis, US Attorney Josh J. Minkler announced Friday.

Indiana resisting marijuana trend of neighboring states

December 16, 2019 | Associated Press and IL Staff

Indiana’s Republican Statehouse leaders are firmly against taking any steps toward following neighboring states in legalizing marijuana use during the upcoming legislative session. But they might not be able to avoid talking about it during the 2020 election campaign.

Indianapolis drug kingpin gets life in federal prison

December 13, 2019 | Associated Press

A federal judge sentenced the leader of a violent Indianapolis-based drug trafficking ring to life in prison Thursday.

Hill joins coalition urging Senate to keep fentanyl as Schedule I drug

December 12, 2019 | IL Staff

Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill has joined a coalition urging the Senate Judiciary Committee to pass legislation that would continue to classify fentanyl as a Schedule I drug.

Split COA affirms ex-doctor’s probation revocation

December 11, 2019 | Katie Stancombe

An order for a former doctor involved in a pill mill scheme to serve thousands of days in jail for violating probation has been affirmed. A divided Indiana Court of Appeals panel concluded there was enough evidence to prove a new offense was committed.

Courts as conveners: Task force led by Rush releases recommendations for judicial response to opioid crisis

December 11, 2019 | Olivia Covington

The National Judicial Opioid Task Force was created in 2017 to delve into ways the judiciary could get a handle on the opioid crisis. Co-chaired by Indiana Chief Justice Loretta Rush, the task force’s work culminated late last month in the release of a report that includes four findings and six recommendations for how courts can respond to the current drug scourge and be better prepared for the next addiction crisis.

CLE certifies attorneys to administer opioid overdose reversal drug

December 11, 2019 | Katie Stancombe

In addition to checking off two hours of CLE credit before the year’s end, attorneys who attended an Indianapolis Bar Association event earlier this month left certified to administer a life-saving drug. Lawyers learned how to properly use naloxone – commonly known by its brand name, Narcan – following a demonstration presented by the Indiana State Department of Health.

‘Kid from a cornfield’: Goff brings community mentality to Supreme Court bench

December 11, 2019 | Olivia Covington

He describes himself as “a kid from a cornfield.” And for Justice Christopher Goff, ties to his cornfield community run deep.

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