Indiana woman gets 7 years for tampering with her son’s IV
A northwestern Indiana woman has been sentenced to seven years in prison for injecting fecal matter into her teenage son’s IV line while he was hospitalized for leukemia.
Criminal
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Prosecutors: Deeply-in-debt Michael Avenatti sought payday
Prosecutors say high-profile California attorney Michael Avenatti was over $15 million in debt when he tried to extort up to $25 million from Nike, while Avenatti’s lawyers say the money he legally requested to conduct an internal probe of the sportswear giant was a bargain. Both sides made the assertions in court papers filed late Tuesday in advance of a Jan. 22 criminal trial in Manhattan.
Year in Review: Baer death penalty reversal most-read IL story of 2019
A federal appeals court’s reversal of Madison County killer Fredrick Baer’s death sentence was the most-read story on the Indiana Lawyer’s digital edition, www.theindianalawyer.com. Indiana Lawyer readers clicked on stories on our website more than 2.6 million times between Jan. 1 and Dec. 10, 2019, according to Google Analytics. Here are the 50 most-viewed story headlines during that time.
Year in Review: Several attorneys’ lawlessness, recklessness gave lawyers a bad name in past year
Most Hoosier attorneys will never face a formal disciplinary complaint for misconduct. But in 2019, the bad behavior of a few lawyers resulted in professional sanctions or criminal charges. Here is a look back at some of the most egregious professional lowlights from the past year.
Lake County might ease up on prosecuting marijuana possession
A northwestern Indiana county near Michigan and Illinois is proposing to relax penalties for marijuana possession after the neighboring states legalized pot use.
COA: Song detailing triple-murder scene was admissible evidence
The Indiana Court of Appeals has affirmed a man’s murder convictions, finding a song he wrote and posted online that closely described the murder scene just months later was admissible evidence.
Rehearing: COA improperly applied continuous crime doctrine in rape case
A man’s strangulation conviction associated with a rape conviction in the same case will remain vacated despite an appellate panel’s agreement on rehearing that it improperly applied the continuous crime doctrine to his conviction.
Denial of belated drug-dealing sentence appeal affirmed
The Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed the denial of an Orange County man’s petition to file a belated appeal of his sentence, finding he had waived that right upon agreeing to a plea deal.
Ohio woman gets 7 years in fatal wrong-way highway crash
An Ohio woman who pleaded guilty in New Castle to a deadly wrong-way interstate crash in eastern Indiana was sentenced Tuesday to seven years in prison. The 19-year-old victim’s mother decried the sentence and called on lawmakers to toughen sentences for drunken driving resulting in a death.
Elkhart drug offender granted Holcomb’s first sentence commutation
A convicted drug offender from northern Indiana will be released from prison about 1½ years early after Gov. Eric Holcomb commuted his sentence. The order issued Wednesday was the first sentence commutation during Holcomb’s term.
Fort Wayne man gets suspended sentence for molesting 2 teens
A Fort Wayne man who once faced 13 charges related to child molesting has avoided time in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of sexual misconduct with a minor.
Gary councilman pleads not guilty in kidnapping case
A Gary, Indiana councilman has pleaded not guilty to charges he kidnapped, confined and intimidated a teenager he believed was involved in the theft of his automobile.
Trump ally Roger Stone guilty of witness tampering, lying to Congress
Roger Stone, a longtime friend and ally of President Donald Trump, was found guilty Friday of witness tampering and lying to Congress about his pursuit of Russian-hacked emails damaging to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 election bid.
Farmer enters plea, will serve probation in dead cow case
An eastern Indiana farmer has pleaded guilty to one count of failing to dispose of a dead animal after an inspection found 38 dead cows on his property.
Tippecanoe prosecutors ask if couple was paid for interviews
Prosecutors in Lafayette want to know whether a former couple accused of abandoning their adopted daughter were paid for interviews given to national television shows and tabloids about the case.
Indiana judge convicts man in state trooper’s 2017 shooting
A southern Indiana judge has convicted an 81-year-old man in the shooting of a state trooper who pulled him over for erratic driving.
Reversal: New crime exception nulls ‘taint’ on traffic stop
The grant of a motion to suppress an allegedly unconstitutional traffic stop has been overturned, though the Indiana Court of Appeals did not reach the constitutional question in reversing the trial court.
Jacobs apologizes for Indianapolis shooting, says he ‘nearly lost’ everything
As he prepares to begin a 30-day, unpaid suspension, Clark Circuit Judge Bradley Jacobs is publicly apologizing for the first time for a night of drinking that led to him being critically wounded in a downtown Indianapolis shooting.
Former bouncer found guilty of murdering bartender
A jury in Valparaiso has convicted a man of murder for fatally stabbing a female bartender at the tavern where he worked as a bouncer.
COA affirms teens’ robbery charges
The Indiana Court of Appeals on Monday affirmed the denial of two teens’ motions to dismiss their felony robbery charges after they allegedly stole from a mini mart and battered an employee who tried to stop them.