Articles

Decatur lawyer sentenced to jail for forgery, counterfeiting

A suspended northern Indiana lawyer was sentenced Friday to nearly nine months in jail for forging a judge’s signature on a phony divorce order and sending a client a bogus email that she represented as coming from a deputy prosecutor. Jill Holtzclaw of Decatur was sentenced to serve 270 days behind bars followed by a year of probation for her convictions of Level 6 felony counts of forgery and counterfeiting.

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Lawyer facing jail time for forgery, counterfeiting

A northern Indiana lawyer could be sentenced to nearly two years in jail after she pleaded guilty Tuesday to forging a judge’s name on a phony divorce decree and sending a bogus email bearing a deputy prosecutor’s name. Jill N. Holtzclaw of Decatur pleaded guilty to Level 6 felony counts of forgery and counterfeiting Tuesday in Adams Superior Court.

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Attorney charged with forgery gets fifth suspension of 2018

A northern Indiana attorney charged with felony forgery of a judge’s signature  received her fifth suspension of the year for failure to cooperate with another Disciplinary Commission investigation of a grievance against her. Four of the suspensions remain active.

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Suspended lawyer accused of forgery disciplined again

The Indiana Supreme Court on Wednesday again suspended from the practice of law a northern Indiana lawyer who is charged with felony forgery and was found to be noncooperative with another Disciplinary Commission investigation of a grievance against her.

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Decatur attorney accused of forging judge’s signature suspended

An attorney in northeastern Indiana has been suspended from the practice of law after she was criminally charged. The lawyer has been accused of signing a judge’s name to a phony order in a divorce case and sending emails to an expungement client’s widow posing as a deputy prosecutor.

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Law limiting short-term rental regulations by cities may face test from Carmel, others

As the popularity of short-term rental platforms such as Airbnb and VRBO has increased, local governments across the country have stepped in to regulate when and where their residents can lease their homes to temporary guests. Indiana cities have been no exception, but the 2018 General Assembly limited the extent to which municipalities can regulate the local short-term rental industry.

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Indiana Court Decisions — March 15-28, 2018

7th Circuit Court of Appeals March 21 Civil Plenary — Establishment Clause Freedom From Religion Foundation v. Concord Community Schools 17-1591, 17-1683 An Elkhart high school’s traditional “Christmas Spectacular” production that was canceled by a northern Indiana federal court because of its overt religiosity, then passed muster when Christian elements no longer took a leading […]

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Indiana distributing overdose antidote kits to 34 counties

The Indiana State Department of Health says 95 first responder agencies in 34 rural counties will receive opioid overdose antidote kits. The agency announced Wednesday it’s awarding $127,000 in funding to provide nearly 3,400 naloxone kits and training to the first responders.

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COA reverses dismissal of PCR petition

An Indiana man will get a second chance at post-conviction relief after the Indiana Court of Appeals determined Wednesday that his petition for relief was erroneously dismissed as an improper successive petition.

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Lawyer invokes ADA in discipline case after crime

A northeastern Indiana lawyer who allegedly “terrified” a woman who rejected his romantic advances contends in his resulting attorney discipline case that he had an undiagnosed mental illness. Because of that, he argues that an Indiana Supreme Court sanction against his license to practice law would violate the Americans with Disabilities Act.

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COA: Breath test properly admitted

A man convicted of drunken-driving failed to convince the Indiana Court of Appeals that the state did not prove that the chemicals used in his breath test equipment were certified under Indiana administrative rules.

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Inmate loses negligence suit on appeal

The Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed summary judgment for the Adams County sheriff, finding an inmate was unable to make a prima facie case for negligence. The inmate sued after contracting a methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus – or MRSA – infection after visiting the hospital.

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