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The Indiana Office of Inspector General on Thursday announced felony charges against two former state employees in two separate, unrelated cases.
In January, the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office charged former Indiana Veteran’s Home employee Steven L. Harris with one count of felony theft and one count of felony official misconduct.
According to court documents, Harris worked as a program director and marketing coordinator for the organization, which required him to visit nursing homes, assisted living facilities and senior centers across the state to promote the Indiana Veteran’s Home. But an investigation by the inspector general’s office beginning in May 2024 found that Harris committed ghost employment.
Specifically, Harris was accused of using his state-issued vehicle to drive to Ohio, Missouri and Kentucky on different occasions. Harris was also found to have used the vehicle on days he was not scheduled to work, had not traveled to places he claimed to have been and had stayed in the Indianapolis area the majority of the four months he had the vehicle, according to court documents.
The organization’s director of admissions reported that she contacted nearly 95 facilities Harris documented meeting with between January and April 2024 and that, of those 95 facilities, she could not find anyone who ever saw or spoke with him.
A pretrial conference in Harris’s case is scheduled for June 2.
“Our investigators’ diligence and the Indiana Veterans’ Home’s full cooperation uncovered evidence that warranted certifying these charges to the prosecutor,” said Indiana Inspector General Jared Prentice. “The prosecutor’s decision to file those charges demonstrates that accountability in state government is not optional — for anyone.”
The attorney for Harris did not immediately respond to The Indiana Lawyer’s request for comment.
The case is State of Indiana v. Steven L. Harris, 49D19-2601-F6-001375.
In February, the Clark County Prosecutor’s Office charged former Indiana Department of Child Services family case manager Jade Wilson with two felony and several misdemeanor charges.
Wilson was charged with one felony count of official misconduct, one felony count of obstruction of justice and five misdemeanor counts of falsifying child abuse or neglect records.
According to the inspector general’s office, Wilson is accused of documenting assessment activities that never occurred. Court documents state that Wilson logged several assessment calls with DCS clients that never actually happened.
Before a meeting to discuss her performance issues, Wilson allegedly deleted case entries on her computer and wiped information from her phone, according to court documents.
Her case will go to trial on July 28.
“Our investigators’ diligence, combined with the cooperation of the Indiana Department of Child Services, uncovered evidence that warranted certifying these charges to the prosecutor,” said Indiana Inspector General Jared Prentice. “The prosecutor’s decision to move forward reinforces a simple but essential principle: integrity in state government is not optional, and those entrusted with ensuring the safety of our children must be held accountable when that trust is violated.”
Attorneys for Wilson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The case is State of Indiana v. Jade Wilson, 10C01-2602-F6-000143.
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