Despite testimony discrepancies, delinquency affirmed
The Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed a child’s delinquency adjudication, finding there was sufficient evidence to prove he was in possession of a firearm while fleeing police.
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Board fires South Bend officer involved in fatal crash
A public safety board has voted to fire a South Bend police officer who was involved in a fatal car crash while on duty.
Second man faces charge in off-duty officer’s 1980 death
Another man is facing a murder charge in the 1980 shooting death of an off-duty northwestern Indiana police officer. A 68-year-old man released this summer from an Illinois prison sentence has been charged in the slaying of Hammond officer Lawrence Pucalik.
Authorities: Montgomery Co. woman waited weekend before reporting slaying
Authorities say a 55-year-old rural Indiana woman killed her 62-year-old husband at their home and waited the weekend before calling 911 to report his death. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said Sheila Ridenour was arrested Monday on initial charges of murder and failure to report a dead body after she told 911 dispatchers she fatally shot Billy Ridenour on Friday.
7th Circuit upholds denial of qualified immunity for officer who shot truck driver
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the denial of summary judgment to a police officer who shot a truck driver during a fight over parking tickets, finding the record does not demonstrate that the officer was entitled to qualified immunity, making a trial necessary.
Reversal: Officer’s suit reinstated, bond requirement ambiguous
The Indiana Court of Appeals reversed a trial court’s grant of summary judgment to a Northeastern Indiana city when it found the lower court failed to fix a bond amount for a disciplined police officer by the time of judgment.
Lake County Sheriff’s Department can’t account for missing $7,600
A northwestern Indiana sheriff’s department says it can’t account for more than $7,600 missing from one of its divisions. Lake County Police Chief William said the county Sheriff’s Department can’t account for the money that an audit by the State Board of Accounts found missing from its Civil Division last year.
Justices hear challenge to civil forfeiture disbursements
Contrary readings of Article 8, Section 2 of the Indiana Constitution and its implication on Indiana’s civil forfeiture statute were at issue Thursday when the Indiana Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case brought by the Virginia-based Institute for Justice.
Report: AG Hill’s behavior ‘creepy’ but not criminal
A 25-page report released by the Indiana Office of the Inspector General on Tuesday shines a light on the fallout from groping allegations against Attorney General Curtis Hill, including new allegations that he inappropriately touched four lobbyists in addition to the four women who previously accused him.
COA: Admission of interview video harmless in firearm conviction
The Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed the firearm conviction and sentence of a man when it found the admission of a nearly incomprehensible interview video was, at most, harmless in his case.
Police: New DNA law leads to arrest in January trailer theft case
A new law that requires police to collect DNA from people facing felony charges has led to arrest in an eastern Indiana theft case, police said.
COA upholds admission of evidence after warrantless car search
The Indiana Court of Appeals has upheld the admission of evidence found during the warrantless search of a convicted drug felon’s vehicle, finding the search did not violate the man’s state constitutional rights.
Oral argument: Bright-line speeding rule requested in OWI case
The Indiana Supreme Court heard oral argument Monday morning on a speeding-turned-OWI case following its grant of transfer to the state’s appeal, including concerns regarding reasonable suspicion.
DOJ grants nearly $3 million to Southern District agencies to combat gun crime
Law enforcement agencies in the Southern District of Indiana have been granted nearly $3 million to be dedicated to stemming gun violence through the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative, Southern District U.S. Attorney Josh Minkler announced this week.
15 charged in statewide corruption investigations
Federal and state charges announced by United States Attorney Josh Minkler on Thursday cap a statewide roundup that found 15 individuals accused of misappropriating more than $1 million in public funds.
Elkhart police K-9 excessive force case to continue
An Elkhart police officer accused of using excessive force when he deployed a K-9 officer on a suspect lying in a cornfield has lost his bid for summary judgment and qualified immunity in federal court.
Many Indiana counties face jail crowding with inmate shift
Taxpayers in dozens of Indiana counties will be paying for new jail beds years after sweeping state criminal code changes began sending more low-level offenders into local jails instead of state prisons. At least 40 jails in Indiana are over capacity, and a recent state survey found that almost half of all jail inmates are Level 6 felons, the lowest-level felons.
Justices: No rights advisement needed before drug exam
The Indiana Supreme Court reinstated a woman’s conviction that the Indiana Court of Appeals had vacated because she did not receive an advisement of her rights before police administered a drug recognition exam after a traffic stop.
COA: Fired deputy marshal wrongly denied hearing
The Indiana Court of Appeals reversed a decision that found a deputy town marshal was not entitled to a hearing following his employment termination. The deputy had been fired after taking leave for a medical condition.
Judge grants summary judgment to Indianapolis in ‘horrendous’ police dog bite case
A lawsuit filed by an Indianapolis woman who suffered “horrendous” injuries after she was mistakenly mauled by a police dog will not proceed after a federal judge granted summary judgment to the city of Indianapolis and dismissed the remaining defendants from the case.