Indiana getting $1 million to help deal with opioid use
The federal government is awarding Indiana more than $1 million to train workers in 25 counties to help deal with widespread opioid use, addiction and overdoses.
Drugs
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Sentence affirmed for drug distributor in guideline calculation dispute
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed a man’s 23-year sentence for his drug and firearms convictions despite his assertion that the district court erred by including both uncharged and acquitted drug amounts in his guideline calculation.
50-year war on drugs imprisoned millions of Black Americans
Fifty years ago this summer, President Richard Nixon declared a war on drugs. Today, with the U.S. mired in a deadly opioid epidemic that did not abate during the coronavirus pandemic’s worst days, it is questionable whether anyone won the war. Yet the loser is clear: Black and Latino Americans, their families and their communities.
Portland man gets 52 months in son’s methamphetamine death
An eastern Indiana man whose infant son died from methamphetamine intoxication was sentenced Monday to more than four years in prison for his role in the child’s death.
19 people indicted on meth, fentanyl trafficking charges
A federal grand jury has indicted 19 people on charges alleging their involvement in a drug-trafficking organization believed to be linked to homicides in Indianapolis, officials said Thursday.
Judge appoints attorney for man in Gary bank guard’s killing
A federal magistrate appointed a public defender for a man during his first court appearance in the June killing of a security guard shot to death outside a Gary bank during a robbery.
National, state wiretaps see decreases during 2020
Federal and state judges reported a combined 26% decrease in authorized wiretaps in 2020, according to court statistics released last week. Convictions stemming from cases involving electronic surveillance also decreased significantly.
Lake Co. father of drowned brothers receives 16-year prison sentence
A 16-year prison sentence was handed Wednesday to a northwest Indiana man who pleaded guilty to two counts of neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury in the drownings of his two sons.
High court rejects defendant’s vindictive-prosecution claim
The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal from a Virginia drug dealer who is serving a 41-year murder sentence that he claims is the result of vindictive prosecution.
Justices rule against low-level crack cocaine offenders
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Monday that low-level crack cocaine offenders convicted more than a decade ago can’t take advantage of a 2018 federal law to seek reduced prison time.
Former magistrate banned from bench gets 180-day suspension for probation violations
A former Hamilton County magistrate who was banned from the bench and put on disciplinary probation after being convicted in a drug sting has been suspended from the practice of law in Indiana for 180 days without automatic reinstatement.
Majority justices uphold return of seized Land Rover that went to SCOTUS
After seven-plus years of litigation, the Indiana Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a Marion man seeking the return of his seized white Land Rover. The majority justices concluded Thursday that Tyson Timbs met his high burden of showing that the harshness of his vehicle’s forfeiture was grossly disproportionate to the gravity of his underlying drug dealing offense and culpability for the vehicle’s misuse.
Appellate panel affirms denial of PCR in meth manufacturing case
A man whose meth manufacturing case has twice been through the appellate process has lost in a third appeal, this time challenging the denial of his petition for post-conviction relief.
Officers’ request to see identifying logo not an ‘illegal search,’ COA rules
A man convicted of multiple felonies after using counterfeit money at a drug store failed to convince the Indiana Court of Appeals that an officer’s request to see an identifying logo on his clothes violated his constitutional rights.
Shelbyville man’s corrupt business influence conviction divides COA panel
Indiana Court of Appeals judges split in a decision regarding low-level drug offenses after a Shelbyville man selling meth to someone undercover was convicted of corrupt business influence.
Split justices uphold warrantless search, seizure of van in drug possession case
Indiana Supreme Court justices split Thursday in a decision concerning a Boone County man’s drug-possession convictions that were previously reversed by an appellate court that found the warrantless search of his car following a crash violated his Fourth Amendment rights.
Justices suspend Indianapolis attorney for felony drug possession conviction
Grant Helms, who has no prior disciplinary actions, was found guilty of possession of methamphetamine.
7th Circuit finds search warrant of suspected drug dealer’s home valid
A northern Indiana man could not convince the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals that a search of his home that revealed drugs and firearms was baseless and that he endured prosecutorial misconduct during his trial.
COA reverses narcotic conviction for insufficient evidence
The Indiana Court of Appeals has vacated a man’s felony conviction for possessing a narcotic, agreeing with both the defendant and the state that the substance found in the man’s possession was not actually a narcotic.
Lake Co. father of drowned brothers pleads guilty to neglect charges
An Indiana man pleaded guilty Wednesday to two counts of neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury in the drownings of his two sons.