Lawsuit: St. Joseph County sheriff’s office negligent in inmate death
A federal lawsuit accuses a northern Indiana sheriff’s department of negligence after an inmate who allegedly was suffering from drug withdrawal symptoms killed himself.
Drugs
Articles
COA: Officer peeking in window acted as Girl Scout would
A man with drug-related convictions failed to sway an appellate court that his rights against illegal search and seizure were violated when an officer peeked through his window before arresting him. The Indiana Court of Appeals concluded the officer acted no differently than a Girl Scout in approaching the man’s door.
7th Circuit finds leadership enhancement harmless error
An Indianapolis furniture salesman who used his business as a front for selling cocaine and heroin persuaded the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals to buy his argument that he did not have a leadership role in the drug operation, but his 30-year sentence was still affirmed.
COA: Probation officers protected under quasi-judicial immunity
An inmate ordered to serve the reminder of his sentence after violating his probation lost his argument against several probation officers involved in his case when the Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed the officers were protected under quasi-judicial immunity.
Marijuana legalization elsewhere leaves Hoosier employers dazed
For the small-business owners who arrived at the Indiana Statehouse March 6 to spend the day speaking with lawmakers, issues such as taxes, tariffs and finding qualified workers were more important than marijuana.
‘Vigilante’ who killed 2 trying to ‘clean up drug problem’ loses appeal
A man who murdered two people in a victim’s home after telling police he wanted to help “clean up the drug problem” in a southern Indiana county got no relief from his convictions or 121-year prison sentence on appeal Friday.
Hamilton County implements program to stop opioid overdoses
An opioid overdose prevention program has been started in Hamilton County.
Ex-Hamilton County addiction doctor loses suit against DEA, Carmel
Law enforcement officials who unsuccessfully brought charges against a Hamilton County addiction treatment doctor accused of overprescribing opiates have been cleared in a civil lawsuit the doctor filed against them.
COA to travel for three arguments next week
Three Appeals on Wheels oral arguments will be heard next week, involving wrongful termination of a hospital employee, suppression of evidence from a pat-down search and a hotel’s appeal of granted possession.
17-year-old charged with murder in 2 Porter County deaths
A 17-year-old Indiana youth faces murder charges for allegedly killing two other teens in what police say an informant told them was a drug deal gone bad. Porter County prosecutors say Connor R. Kerner of Valparaiso is charged as an adult in the deaths of 18-year-old Thomas Grill and 19-year-old Molley Lanham.
SCOTUS decision in Timbs civil forfeiture case just a start
The US Supreme Court decision in a landmark Indiana civil forfeiture case ruled that the Eighth Amendment Excessive Fines Clause is incorporated to the states, but Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s opinion declined to answer one key question: When does the Eighth Amendment prohibit civil forfeiture?
COA traveling to North Manchester, Valparaiso for oral arguments
The Indiana Court of Appeals will travel north this week to hear oral arguments in two cases involving narcotics and murder.
In 9-0 ruling, SCOTUS rejects Indiana excessive civil forfeiture
The Eighth Amendment’s protection against excessive fines has been incorporated to the states via the 14th Amendment, the Supreme Court of the United States has unanimously ruled in deciding an Indiana civil forfeiture case that posed the question.
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.
Convicted drug lord ‘El Chapo’ likely heading to ‘Supermax’
In the world of corrections, there are inmates who pose security risks, and then there’s drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, convicted Tuesday of running an industrial-scale smuggling operation, and who has an unparalleled record of jailbreaks. Experts say Guzman may spend the rest of his life in the federal government’s “Supermax” prison in Florence, Colorado.
Officers recognize, arrest woman who barked at police dog
An Indiana woman who barked at a police dog attracted the attention of officers, who then arrested her on outstanding warrants. Lafayette police say officers were conducting a traffic stop Monday when 20-year-old Kiana Champagne Fletcher, who was standing in front of her home, began barking at a police dog sniffing the stopped car.
Pursuit of happiness can’t blunt man’s marijuana conviction
A man arrested for smoking a blunt in Indianapolis failed to convince the Indiana Court of Appeals that his misdemeanor conviction violated his constitutional rights to liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The appeal also raised the issue of the Hoosier State now being among a minority of states that have yet to legalize marijuana in some form.
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.