Evansville man accused of selling fentanyl to woman who died
Authorities say a southern Indiana man has been arrested in connection with the fentanyl-based overdose death of a 22-year-old woman.
Drugs
Articles
Illinois poised to be 11th state to allow recreational marijuana
Illinois is likely to become the 11th state to allow small amounts of marijuana for recreational use after the Democratic-controlled House on Friday sent a legalization plan to Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker. The move further isolates Indiana’s criminalization of marijuana nationally and among its neighboring states.
Constructive amendment error doesn’t warrant new trial, 7th Circuit rules
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed a man’s life sentence after rejecting his request to vacate and receive a new trial on his firearm possession convictions based on a constructive amendment error in his indictment.
Appeals panel upholds Muncie doctor’s convictions
The Indiana Court of Appeals has affirmed the forgery and prescription-related offenses for a Muncie doctor alleged to have overprescribed pain medication to patients by using his nurse practitioners’ names to sign the orders.
Car search after meth dealer’s arrest divides COA panel
A suspected Morgan County meth dealer who pulled his truck into his driveway as police were executing a search warrant on his property failed to overturn his conviction on appeal, but a dissenting judge found a police search of his vehicle after he was arrested failed to “honor the distinction between homes and motor vehicles for purposes of search and seizure.”
Justices: No error in admitted post-arrest, pre-Miranda silence
Indiana Supreme Court justices have affirmed a trial court’s admission of a man’s post-arrest silence before he was read his Miranda rights, finding he opened the door of evidence and that no fundamental error existed.
Indiana files opioid suit against Purdue Pharma, Sackler family
The Indiana Attorney General’s Office on Tuesday announced a lawsuit against several owners and directors of pharmaceutical company Purdue Pharma, alleging those members of the Sackler family have played a key role in contributing to Indiana’s opioid epidemic.
COA affirms termination of parent-child relationship
A drug-addicted mother couldn’t convince the Indiana Court of Appeals to reconsider the termination of her parent-child relationship with her young daughter after the panel concluded there was sufficient evidence to prove the removal was in the child’s best interests, even if some of it was admitted in error.
Fired Hamilton County magistrate judge pleads not guilty to meth charge
A fired suburban Indianapolis magistrate judge has pleaded not guilty to felony possession of methamphetamine.
Feds award Indiana $1.2M for opioid response in rural areas
A federal agency has awarded Indiana $1.2 million to further the state’s efforts to fight the opioid epidemic in rural areas.
ACLU report highlights Indiana’s prison problem
While acknowledging Indiana’s efforts to reform its criminal justice system has slowed the growth of the state’s prison population, a new report by the ACLU of Indiana asserts that additional reforms, including expanded access to treatment for mental health and substance abuse, could reduce the number of incarcerated by 50 percent and save Hoosier taxpayers more than $541 million by 2025.
COA tosses convictions on new charges introduced at trial
A split Indiana Court of Appeals reversed four counts of a woman’s conviction, finding the trial court abused its discretion in allowing the state to amend the charging information without giving the defendant a “reasonable opportunity” to prepare and defend against the new counts.
Former Munster doctor sentenced for overprescribing painkillers
A former northwestern Indiana doctor who pleaded guilty to overprescribing painkillers has been sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release. Jay Joshi, formerly a general practice physician in Munster, also was ordered to pay a $7,500 fine after pleading guilty last year to dispensing hydrocodone outside the scope of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose.
Split COA grants new trial to defendant denied pro se request
A split Indiana Court of Appeals has granted a new trial to a man who was convicted after he was refused his right to represent himself in his criminal case. The majority found the defendant timely filed and was unjustly denied his pro se request.
7th Circuit upholds drug dealer’s career criminal ruling
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a determination that man convicted for drug-related offenses was a career offender under § 4B1.1 of the United States Sentencing Guidelines and that a corresponding enhancement was appropriately applied to his sentence, rejecting his interpretation of the statute.
Man gets 63 years in prison for deadly cellphone cord attack
A New Castle man has been sentenced to 63 years in prison for using a cellphone cord to choke an acquaintance who died about eight months after the attack.
Justices grant transfer in 2 fixed-sentence modification cases
The Indiana Supreme Court has agreed to hear argument in two cases with similar scenarios concerning the trial court’s ability to modify fixed-sentence plea agreements.
‘Reliability of exhibits’ overcomes challenge to probation revocation
The revocation of a Madison County man’s probation was upheld after the Indiana Court of Appeals found the evidence presented to the trial court of his continued drug activity met the test for reliability.
Justices hear probable cause questions in case of $60K seized cash
Questions of whether probable cause existed for law enforcement to seize more than $60,000 in cash from a FedEx package were heard before the Indiana Supreme Court on Thursday, with an attorney for the state urging justices to overturn recent precedent to allow the seizure.
Public was not barred from man’s trial, COA rules
A man who argued the public was barred from his trial was denied an appeal of his drug-related convictions Thursday after an appellate panel confirmed that his Sixth Amendment right to a public trial was not violated.