Articles

Justices: Admission of warrantless cell location data was harmless

Even though law enforcement conducted a warrantless Fourth Amendment search when they accessed of a man’s cellphone location data, the admission of the data does not warrant a new trial because any error was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled Friday, upholding a man’s four convictions in a case heard on remand from the U.S. Supreme Court.

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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.

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Carmel police force deploying body cameras

A suburban Indianapolis police force has begun deploying new body cameras while on patrol. The city of Carmel says its police department received an $80,000 federal grant to help fund the first phase of a five-year, no-interest lease for 120 body cameras and 100 in-car cameras.

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Officer’s reasonable suspicion sufficient in speeding stop, justices rule

A man challenging the propriety of his traffic stop for speeding under both the United States and Indiana Constitutions failed to convince Indiana Supreme Court justices Wednesday that the officer who conducted the stop should have documented the speed. Justices ruled that the officer had reasonable suspicion to stop him.

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Snapchat video of man with gun admissible, COA rules

A popular social media app contributed to a man’s conviction, which he argued portrayed him in the wrong light under Evidence Rule 404(b). However, the Indiana Court of Appeals rejected his argument when it found the video was not meant to target his character, but rather the evidence of his crime.

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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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‘Bonnie and Clyde’ bank robber loses 7th Circuit appeal

An Indiana man convicted of “Bonnie and Clyde-style” bank robberies lost his appeal before the 7th Circuit, which ruled Monday that the defendant’s rights weren’t violated when he was tracked from Indiana to California or when evidence of other robberies he wasn’t charged with were admitted at his trial.

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Judge reinstates credit time after DOC withholds potentially exculpatory evidence

An inmate who was one of more than 1,000 inmates in the Department of Correction with the last name “Taylor” has been granted habeas relief from a prison disciplinary proceeding, with a judge finding the man was denied due process when DOC officials failed to explain how he was selected as the correct “Taylor” in the proceedings.

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