Indiana man pleads guilty to threatening abortion clinics
A northwestern Indiana man has pleaded guilty to two federal charges alleging he sent threatening messages to two abortion clinics.
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Man sentenced to 82 years for Evansville strip club shooting
A man convicted in a fatal shooting outside an Evansville strip club has been sentenced to 82 years in prison. A Vanderburgh County judge ordered the sentence Friday for 35-year-old Clarence Miller, who was convicted last month on murder and other charges for the April 2017 shooting.
Felony advisory sentence doesn’t require sentencing statement, COA rules
A man arguing that a trial court abused its discretion in imposing an advisory sentence without issuing a statement lost his case when the Indiana Court of Appeals found that under Indiana code, courts are not required to issue statements for advisory felony sentences.
COA affirms denial of Kroger sales tax fraud claim
The Indiana Court of Appeals has affirmed the denial of a man’s fraud complaint against several grocery stores after finding his claims did not meet the specificity requirements of Indiana Trial Rule 9(B).
Judge lets Tippecanoe Right to Life free speech case proceed
A Tippecanoe County anti-abortion group’s free speech lawsuit against the local public transportation company will continue after a district court judge denied Greater Lafayette Public Transportation Corporation’s motion for judgment on the pleadings.
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.
Supreme Court certifies 42 senior judges for 2019
The Indiana Supreme Court has certified or re-certified 42 judicial officers as senior judges for the coming year. The high court re-certified 33 senior judges and gave eight trial court judges and one magistrate received initial certification.
Allen Superior Court seeks magistrate judge to succeed Zent
The Allen Superior Court Criminal Division is accepting applications for a magistrate judge position that will open when Senior Magistrate David M. Zent becomes an Allen Superior Judge. Applications will be accepted to fill Zent’s seat in the Allen Superior Court Misdemeanor and Traffic Division through Nov. 30, with the position expected to be filled in December.
Public comment sought for Southern District Bankruptcy Court proposed amendments
The United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Indiana is seeking public comment concerning proposed amendments to the court’s local rules, including some required by changes to national rules. Comments are due by 5 p.m. Nov. 28.
120 people face drug charges in Johnson County
The Johnson County prosecutor says more than 100 people are facing drug charges. Prosecutor Brad Cooper said Thursday that 120 people face charges for dealing methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, marijuana or other drugs.
White House braces for Mueller’s next steps
The White House is bracing for the probe of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign to fire up again. Trump’s advisers are privately expressing worries that the special counsel, who’s been out of the news for the past month, has been stealthily compiling information and could soon issue new indictments or a damning final report.
Missouri tour boat captain indicted after sinking kills 17
Kenneth Scott McKee, the captain of a tourist boat that sank in southwest Missouri and killed 17 people, including nine members of an Indianapolis family, didn’t tell passengers to put on flotation devices or prepare them to abandon ship even after waves crashed into the boat during a severe storm, according to an indictment released Thursday. McKee faces 17 counts of misconduct, negligence or inattention to duty by a ship’s officer resulting in death.
Corydon teacher sentenced to 90 years in child molesting case
A former southern Indiana elementary school teacher who pleaded guilty to child molestation in a deal with prosecutors has been sentenced in 90 years behind bars. Under terms of a plea agreement filed in September in Harrison Superior Court, Corey Faith entered pleas to three counts of child molestation and 33 other counts were dropped.
Ex-judge accused of sex-based harassment tentatively settles
A former Huntington County judge has reached a tentative settlement with his accuser in a sex-based harassment case brought by a county probation officer who alleged the judge engaged in a “campaign of sex-based harassment, discrimination, and retaliation” that “created a hostile and oppressive workplace environment.”
COA: ‘Irritated’ judge must make immigration findings
A trial court judge who refused to make federal findings regarding a minor litigant’s immigration status because he was “irritated” by having to deal with federal law must now consider the immigration questions after the Indiana Court of Appeals found the judge’s refusal was erroneous.
Indigent man ordered to pay $5,000, guilty plea waiver valid
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a district court’s imposition of a $5,000 special assessment to a man, despite the discovery that he was indigent, finding no evidence to suggest his waiver was invalid.
COA: Sisters separated from mother, brothers is in best interests
The Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed a trial court termination of parental rights in a “most unusual circumstance” when it found the separation of two minor daughters from their brothers and mother was in the girls’ best interests.
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.
Appeals court splits over ‘manifest injustice’ in resentencing
The majority of an Indiana Court of Appeals panel reversed the resentencing of a burglar who was serving an out-of-state sentence, holding that a harsher sentence that was imposed on a prior remand was a manifest injustice. But a dissenting judge wrote that the offender’s victims would suffer a greater injustice if the sentence is reduced.
Revised vote tally flips St. Joseph race, ousting probate judge
The St. Joseph Probate Court judge was unseated in Tuesday’s election, reversing earlier results showing Republican Judge James Fox had retained his office. Official final vote totals now show Democratic challenger Jason Cichowicz narrowly defeated Fox in the state’s closest judicial race.