Plainfield facility to house low-risk, first-time offenders
Gov. Mike Pence announced Thursday the conversion of a Plainfield short-term offender program into an individualized program for first-time, lower-risk offenders sentenced to prison.
Courts
Articles
Defendant’s breach of plea agreement allows state to back out
The Indiana Court of Appeals addressed an issue of first impression Thursday: whether the state can withdraw from a plea agreement after the trial court has accepted it. The state was allowed to withdraw its agreement with a defendant after the man refused to testify at his co-conspirator’s trial, which was part of the deal.
Judge concerned remonstrators may not have enough time to ask for a stay
The Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed the annexation by the city of Martinsville of approximately 3,000 acres, finding the remonstrators’ appeal is moot because they did not ask for a stay of the annexation approval. But one judge had concerns that municipality clerks may be able to make an annexation final before remonstrators have enough time to consider requesting a stay.
Judge convicts northern Indiana man in 2 killings
A northern Indiana man paroled in 2010 after serving time for killing a family friend has been convicted in the fatal shootings of his brother and sister-in-law.
Federal prosecutors charge 22 in alleged drug ring
Federal authorities said Wednesday they disrupted a major drug trafficking network stretching from Mexico to six U.S. states, and investigators partially credited a Chicago-based task force that focuses on the nexus between Mexican cartels and street gangs.
U.S. judge blocks Obamacare tax rule for non-exchange states
An Oklahoma federal judge dealt a blow to President Barack Obama’s health care law, invalidating IRS rules aimed at making policies affordable for consumers around the country.
Judge tosses suit over IU student’s disappearance
A federal judge has thrown out the lawsuit filed by the parents of an Indiana University student last seen more than three years ago against two men who were with her the night she vanished.
Court must reconsider man’s request for credit time
A trial court mistakenly believed it could not award educational credit time to a man serving his sentence on home detention, so the Indiana Court of Appeals ordered the court to re-evaluate his petition.
Justices order $7,025 credit applied for father’s arrearage
In a per curiam decision released Wednesday, the Indiana Supreme Court accepted a case involving owed child support and ordered the father be credited for more than $7,000 seized from his bank account for the arrearage.
Justices reverse COA, reinstate ex-teacher’s attempted seduction charge
A former high school teacher must face a charge of attempted child seduction for Facebook communications propositioning a 16-year-old student for sex, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled Tuesday, reinstating a case the Court of Appeals had dismissed.
Judge upholds conviction in southwestern Indiana slaying
A judge has denied a southwestern Indiana man's request to reverse his murder conviction for the shooting death of his ex-girlfriend's father.
Petition seeks charges in crash that killed 7
A Georgia man hopes an online petition will help persuade a northwestern Indiana prosecutor to file charges against a trucker for a crash that killed seven family members.
Venue change sought in case of woman’s 1975 death
An Indiana man who spent more than 25 years in prison for the death of his second wife is seeking a new location for his trial on charges he killed his first wife in 1975.
What if high court rejects gay marriage cases?
The fastest and surest path to marriage for same-sex couples in some parts of the United States would be for the U.S. Supreme Court to surprise everyone and decline to get involved in the issue right now.
JQC files charges against judge following OWI arrest in Kentucky
The Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications filed one count against a southern Indiana town court judge who was arrested and pleaded guilty to operating while intoxicated in Louisville, Kentucky.
Supreme Court tells judges how to deal with prolific, abusive litigants
The Indiana Supreme Court released a per curiam decision Tuesday dismissing the appeal of a man described as a “prolific, abusive litigant” based on the 123 cases he has filed in state court throughout Indiana. In its opinion, the justices also provide guidance to trial courts on how to deal with abusive and vexatious litigation practices.
Court properly denied grandmother visitation rights
A trial court properly ruled on a case as a petition for grandparent visitation, not as a modification of already established visitation, the Indiana Court of Appeals held Tuesday. The judges affirmed the denial of a paternal grandmother’s request for visitation.
Court erred in ordering insurer to pay costs of cleanup
A trial court misinterpreted a previous ruling involving an insurance coverage dispute for environmental cleanup costs, and as such, erred when it ordered the insurer to pay costs that were incurred as a result of a settlement, the Indiana Court of Appeals held.
COA split on upholding battery conviction
The Indiana Court of Appeals was divided Tuesday over whether to affirm a man’s conviction of Class C felony battery by means of a deadly weapon following an attack on his son-in-law. The dissenting judge believed the defendant should have been able to include the victim’s prior inconsistent statements at trial.
Foreclosure notice by newspaper not good enough for COA
A bank’s failure to give proper notification of a foreclosure has kept a lienholder’s judgment alive and created uncertainty as to who holds the title to a property.