Hammond man sues police, seeks damages for crash injuries
A northwestern Indiana man alleges in a federal lawsuit that he suffered a traumatic brain injury when a police officer ran a red light and struck his vehicle in 2016.
law enforcement
Articles
FBI agent’s experience enough to suggest ‘fair probability’ for drug evidence
The 7th Circuit Court has ruled that an FBI agent’s extensive experience dealing with drug-trafficking crimes was enough to establish probable cause to search a man’s home and to allow the admission at trial of the contraband found pursuant to the search.
Appeals court orders return of $60K in seized cash
The Indiana Court of Appeals has ordered the return of more than $60,000 in cash seized by an Indianapolis detective who was checking packages at a parcel-shipping company. The same detective’s prior seizure of cash in a similar manner set the precedent in a 2017 case that such searches are unlawful.
Ex-Lawrenceburg policeman loses 7th Circuit appeal over firing
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a federal court ruling for the city of Lawrenceburg in its firing of a criminally charged police officer, who claimed his termination implicated his First Amendment rights because it came after he complained about the mayor and purported wrongdoing by city officials.
State Police decline request to investigate Elkhart police
Indiana State Police have declined to investigate Elkhart’s police department following reporting that revealed two police officers allegedly beat a handcuffed man.
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.
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.