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The Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications has filed 11 disciplinary charges against Randolph County Superior Court Judge Dale Arnett for allegedly demonstrating an inability to diligently perform his judicial and administrative duties.
The commission accuses Arnett of repeatedly failing to set timely set hearings for defendants after their arrest. This resulted in defendants remaining in jail for 15 to 227 days without an initial hearing and in at least 10 criminal cases being dismissed because the judge didn’t act in time, court documents show.
Arnett did not immediately respond to The Indiana Lawyer’s request for comment. He was elected judge in 2020, and the commission says problems with the court began shortly after he took office.
The disciplinary commission also accuses Arnett of failing to supervise court staff who were responsible for updating court events and scheduling initial hearing dates for defendants.
Despite being put on notice by multiple officials about the issues, the commission says, Arnett failed to address them.
Last fall, the Randolph County Prosecutor’s Office gave Arnett a detailed list of cases with missing entries, orders, and future court dates. Several individuals in the county also informed him about concerns over delays in case entries and a failure to set new court dates.
In December 2024, the Commission on Judicial Qualifications received a series of complaints regarding Arnett’s handing of cases. The complaints included a 13-page list of criminal cases since April 2024 that were missing case entries and orders.
As of Tuesday, the commission identified 27 cases between April 2023 and April 2025 in which defendants assigned to Arnett’s court were held in the Randolph County Jail much longer than the 15-day period in which Indiana law requires an initial court hearing to be held. One man was held for 227 days without an initial hearing.
Arnett is currently on a leave of absence after the Indiana Supreme Court appointed a temporary judge for the county.
The state’s high court now will consider the disciplinary charges against Arnett.
It can dismiss the charges, accept or reject a disciplinary agreement between the commission and the judge, appoint a panel of judges to conduct a public hearing, impose a fine, or impose sanctions ranging from a reprimand to a suspension to a permanent ban on holding judicial office in Indiana.
The case is In the Matter of Dale W Arnett, 25S-JD-00198.
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