Articles

Gary woman settles lawsuit over jailing due to mistaken identity

A northwest Indiana woman who alleged she was wrongfully jailed for nearly two months in a case of mistaken identity has reached a $6,000 settlement in the case. Court records show Gloria J. Blue of Gary also will get attorneys’ fees as part of this month’s settlement.

Read More

Unnamed IMPD officers sued for destroying homeless camp

A suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana on behalf of homeless clients alleges two as-yet unidentified Indianapolis police officers unlawfully seized and destroyed the belongings of five homeless individuals who had been living under a railroad bridge.

Read More

State police: No video of man’s killing by trooper

Relatives of a man fatally shot by an Indiana State trooper near Crawfordsville are demanding answers after police said there was no body or dash camera video of what led up to last week’s shooting along a western Indiana highway.

Read More

Prosecutors concede 3 Buncich convictions should be vacated

Federal prosecutors concede there wasn’t enough evidence to convict former Lake County Sheriff John Buncich on three of the five wire fraud counts he was found guilty of and he should be resentenced. Prosecutors say they failed to introduce sufficient evidence of “Federal reserve payroll fund” transfers alleged in three counts of the indictment against Buncich and “the Court should vacate Buncich’s convictions on those counts.”

Read More

Records: Probe of Indiana’s AG cost taxpayers at least $26K

An investigation into allegations that Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill drunkenly groped four women at a party last March cost taxpayers at least $26,300, according to records obtained through open records requests. The bulk of the expenses, $17,861, came from the office of Inspector General Lori Torres, which opened its inquiry after requests by Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb and legislative leadership.

Read More

IMPD officers sued for destroying homeless camp

The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana filed a lawsuit Wednesday against two as yet unidentified Indianapolis police officers, alleging they unlawfully seized and destroyed the belongings of five homeless individuals who had been living under a railroad bridge.  

Read More

Supreme Court to travel, invites amici in smartphone privacy case

The Indiana Supreme Court will hit the road early next year to hear oral argument in a first impression case involving smartphone privacy. Justices also have invited amicus parties in the case as they seek to determine whether law enforcement can force a woman to unlock her phone as part of a criminal investigation.

Read More

15-month prison term for Porter Co. cop who stole from police group

The former treasurer of a Valparaiso police organization has been sentenced to 15 months in prison for stealing nearly $190,000. Lawrence LaFlower told a federal judge Monday that “everything revolved around gambling,” which is why he began embezzling money from Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 165 in Valparaiso.

Read More

S. Indiana man hears charges in chase that killed Charlestown officer

Benjamin Eads of Freedom appeared in court Monday in Scott County on charges including auto theft and resisting law enforcement, which led to a death. Authorities say Eads fled a traffic stop on Dec. 12, triggering a police chase during which Charlestown Officer Benton Bertram’s vehicle struck a tree. Bertram was pronounced dead at the scene.

Read More

Portage to pay $10K in police dog’s killing of dog

The city of Portage has agreed to pay $10,000 to the owners of a dog killed by a police dog that escaped from its handler. The dog, Bandit, was killed after a Portage police officer lost her grip on her Belgian Malinois police dog, Nyx's, leash during Portage’s Sept. 15 Bacon Fest.

Read More

Police: Teen, officers exchange gunfire at middle school

A 14-year-old boy who arrived at an Indiana middle school Thursday morning that was already on lockdown after a tip about potential violence shot out glass in a locked door and entered the school before exchanging gunfire with officers inside, authorities said. The boy, who police said died inside the school from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, wasn’t a current student at Dennis Intermediate School in Richmond.

Read More

Indianapolis police major losing rank for defending convict

A high-ranking Indianapolis police officer is being stripped of his rank for writing a letter defending a man convicted of rape. Michael Jefferson had been a major who served in the command staffs of current police Chief Bryan Roach and his predecessor, but is being returned to the rank of lieutenant after writing a letter asking a judge for leniency when sentencing 58-year-old Lance Fleming, who was convicted in October of rape and attempted rape.

Read More