New laws for 2019
The following enrolled acts, followed in parentheses by their corresponding public law numbers, take effect July 1 unless otherwise noted below.
Criminal Case
Articles
Zipping into statutes: Overview of new laws for 2019
Although the $34 billion budget dominated the session, legislators introduced and considered more than 600 bills each in both the Senate and the House. The ones they passed covered a variety of matters, including hate crimes, hemp, gambling, foster parents, electricity generation and, of course, electric scooters.
Officials remain tight-lipped about judges’ shooting
Since Clark Circuit Judges Andrew Adams and Bradley Jacobs returned to their southern Indiana homes in mid-May to recuperate from being shot, few updates on their conditions and announcements regarding the prosecution of their case have been provided, leaving some in the community wondering.
Feds in Hammond announce indictments of Chicago gang members
Several alleged members of a Chicago-based street gang have been indicted on charges that they killed or injured more than 40 people in shootings, stabbings and assaults in Chicago and Indiana dating back to 2006.
Brazil assistant police chief faces DUI charges
The assistant police chief of a western Indiana community has been arrested for driving under the influence.
Henry, Madison counties considering possible shared jail
Officials from two central Indiana counties are considering the possibility of opening a regional jail that they would share.
COA reduces counts in armed burglary of elderly Franklin couple
A man’s burglary conviction has been reduced from a Level 1 felony after he broke into an elderly couple’s Franklin home and bound them at gunpoint before stealing weapons, money and their car. An appellate panel concluded that injury to the elderly man’s mind did not qualify as a bodily injury.
Evidence supports convictions in Evansville auto-theft case
Auto-theft convictions have been upheld for a man who unsuccessfully argued that a vehicle he stole didn’t belong to its rightful owner. The man also failed to convince the Indiana Court of Appeals that the vehicle was worth less than the amount he was ordered to pay in restitution.
Man with intellectual disability freed from death sentence
An Arkansas man sentenced to death for murdering a teenage girl in Texas 25 years ago has been granted his petition for habeas corpus after a federal judge determined him to be ineligible for the death penalty due to his intellectual disability. The man will be resentenced in Texas.
Authorities: Man steals from home, returns asking to rent it
Authorities say a homeless man stole handguns, tools, cash and jewelry from an Anderson home and then returned to ask the owner about renting the property.
COA upholds attempted murder conviction based on video evidence
A man convicted of attempted murder after shooting at another man also holding a gun has failed to convince the Indiana Court of Appeals that his conviction should be thrown out on self-defense grounds.
After shooting, Buttigieg says South Bend police must activate cameras
Back home from the Democratic presidential campaign trail, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg is telling officers after a fatal police shooting that they must activate their body cameras during any interaction with civilians.
Witness against Gary teen in mom’s slaying gets time served
A young man who was a key witness in the case against a Gary teenager accused of stabbing her mother more than 60 times has been sentenced to time served.
2 face murder charges in 2018 death of Elwood boy
The mother and stepfather of an Elwood child who died three days before his second birthday now are facing murder charges.
COA: Military service not a mitigator in child molesting case
A man convicted and sentenced to 66 years behind bars for molesting his former fiancee’s daughter couldn’t convince the Indiana Court of Appeals that his extensive military service was a mitigating factor in his case.
Ex-YCMA, school worker appeals 120-year child molesting sentence
A Jeffersonville man is appealing his 120-year prison sentence for molesting children while working at a YMCA and at an elementary school.
Man pleads guilty in Jeffersonville businessman’s killing
A man accused in the October slaying of a businessman in southern Indiana during a robbery has pleaded guilty to murder.
Reversal: Wife was wrongly denied protective order hearing
A woman alleging domestic violence at the hands of her husband will have another chance to make her case for a protective order against him after the Indiana Court of Appeals ordered a trial court to conduct a new hearing.
Evansville CNA gets probation for slipping anxiety meds into seniors’ food
A Vanderburgh County nursing aid has been sentenced to more than two years of probation after slipping anxiety medication into the food of senior citizens she was charged with caring for.
Man can reject insanity defense in ex-girlfriend’s slaying
A judge in Jeffersonville has ruled a man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend and eating parts of her body can reject an insanity defense.