Felonies, fines for improper CDLs advance to Indiana governor’s desk
The bill now would make it a Level 6 felony for a driver to operate with bad, false or expired credentials and impose a $5,000 penalty on such drivers.
Criminal Charges
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Closing the gap?: New law clears up ‘black hole’ between adult, juvenile courts
A new law should erase a “jurisdictional gap” that has allowed people who commit offenses before their 18th birthday to essentially avoid legal consequences as long as charges weren’t filed until after they turned 21.
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SEA 1 raises questions, fears over criminal penalties
Although Indiana Republican legislators have been adamant that the state’s new abortion ban does not criminalize women, attorneys who have been reading the statute maintain the language is vague and prosecutors still have discretion.
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New murder trial affirmed for Elkhart man with mental disability
A man with a mental disability who has for years claimed he was wrongfully convicted of an Elkhart murder and who spent more than 15 years behind bars can proceed to a new trial after the Indiana Court of Appeals upheld a post-conviction relief order vacating his murder conviction.
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Web Exclusive: Bill aims to bring local criminal justice stakeholders out of ‘silos’ to study reforms
House Bill 1068 would allow for the creation of local justice reinvestment advisory councils modeled after the statewide JRAC. The local councils would be tasked with reviewing criminal justice practices on a county or regional level, collecting data and reporting back to JRAC, which would use the data to make policy decisions.
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Articles
Jack Smith tells lawmakers his team developed ‘proof beyond a reasonable doubt’ against Trump
The private deposition before the House Judiciary Committee gives Smith his first chance to face questions, albeit behind closed doors, about a pair of investigations into Trump that resulted in since-abandoned criminal charges between the Republican president’s first and second terms in office.
NBA head coach and player charged in sprawling sports betting and Mafia-backed poker schemes
The two indictments unsealed in New York create a massive cloud for the NBA — which opened its season this week — and show how certain types of wagers are vulnerable to massive fraud in the growing, multibillion-dollar legal sports-betting industry.
Judge rejects Trump’s bid to toss hush money conviction because of Supreme Court immunity ruling
A judge Monday refused to throw out President-elect Donald Trump’s hush money conviction because of the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling on presidential immunity. But the overall future of the historic case remains unclear.
Police officers are starting to use AI chatbots to write crime reports. Will they hold up in court?
Oklahoma City’s police department is one of a handful to experiment with AI chatbots to produce the first drafts of incident reports. Police officers who’ve tried it are enthused about the time-saving technology, while some prosecutors, police watchdogs and legal scholars have concerns about how it could alter a fundamental document in the criminal justice system that plays a role in who gets prosecuted or imprisoned.
Indianapolis company that bred beagles for research pleads guilty to neglect, ordered to pay record $35M fine
An Indianapolis-based company that bred beagles for medical research agreed Monday to pay a record $35 million as part of a criminal plea admitting it neglected thousands of dogs at its breeding facility in rural Virginia.
Ex-IPS teacher at center of ‘fight club’ lawsuit charged with felony neglect
The charge comes after a lawsuit alleged Julious Johnican allowed and encouraged students to attack their 7-year-old classmate.
Former Medicaid supervisor sentenced to 18 months in federal prison
Yolanda Brooks, 52, of Indianapolis was also ordered to serve three years on probation after her prison stay and pay $920,148.51 in restitution.
Man found guilty of murder for 2021 shooting at Indianapolis park
An Indianapolis man was found guilty of murder for his involvement in the shooting of another man at an Indianapolis park back in 2021, according to the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office.
Marion County constable charged with theft, resisting, official misconduct
A Marion County constable is facing felony and misdemeanor charges for alleged theft and resisting law enforcement.
Trump asks Supreme Court to put off election interference trial, claiming immunity
Former President Donald Trump is asking the Supreme Court to extend the delay in his election interference trial, saying he is immune from prosecution on charges he plotted to overturn his 2020 election loss.
COA reverses declaratory judgment for officer facing discipline whose arrest was expunged
The Court of Appeals of Indiana has reversed declaratory judgment entered in favor of a law enforcement officer facing discipline following his arrest, even though that arrest was expunged.
Former virtual school leaders face decades in prison if found guilty in alleged enrollment scam
The federal investigation into alleged fraud at two virtual charter schools required a complex review that included interviews of falsely enrolled students and their parents — including the family of one student who was enrolled even after the student died.
Former virtual charter school leaders face federal charges tied to alleged enrollment scam
Several former charter school operators have been indicted for their alleged roles in conspiring to defraud the state of Indiana by padding student enrollment at virtual charter schools.
Prosecutor seeks kidnapping charges in case of missing Delphi teens
The prosecutor in the case of an Indiana man charged in the killings of two teenage girls asked a judge Thursday to allow new two new counts each of kidnapping and murder while kidnapping.
Special counsel Jack Smith asks Supreme Court to rule quickly on whether Trump can be prosecuted
Special counsel Jack Smith on Monday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to take up and rule quickly on whether former President Donald Trump can be prosecuted on charges alleging he plotted to overturn the 2020 election results.
Trump appeals ruling rejecting immunity claim as window narrows to derail federal election case
Former President Donald Trump is appealing a ruling that found he is not immune from criminal prosecution as he runs out of opportunities to delay or even derail an upcoming trial on charges that he plotted to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
Man charged with threatening Palestinian rights group as tensions rise from Israel-Hamas war
A Utah man has been charged with threatening a Palestinian rights organization in Washington in a case that was unsealed Monday as tensions rise in the U.S. from the devastating war between Israel and Hamas.
2 men charged in October shooting that killed 12-year-old boy, wounded second youth in South Bend
Two men have been charged in an October shooting that killed a 12-year-old boy and wounded a second youth in South Bend, authorities said Monday.
Former Clark Co. sheriff Noel charged with 15 felonies related to ghost employment
Former Clark County sheriff Jamey Noel has been charged with 15 felonies alleging ghost employment, corrupt business influence and obstruction of justice, among other charges.