Tippecanoe Co. prosecutor to lead prosecutors’ association
Tippecanoe County Prosecutor Patrick Harrington will serve as president of the Association of Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Inc. in 2020 following his recent election to the post.
Decatur County
Articles
Denial of guardianship for undocumented immigrant’s niece reversed
An Indiana trial court judge who doubted whether he had the authority to grant a guardianship in a case before him involving two undocumented immigrants will get the case back from the Indiana Court of Appeals, which told him in a Wednesday opinion that his ruling was erroneous.
COA to hear insanity murder case at Batesville High School
A traveling panel of the Indiana Court of Appeals will head southeast this week to hear oral argument in a murder case that considers Indiana’s legal standard for insanity.
Divided COA voids casino tax-sharing agreement
A city and county’s agreement to share tax revenue from a southeastern Indiana riverboat casino is void, an Indiana Court of Appeals majority ruled, but a dissenting judge held that the agreement should continue.
COA takes declaratory judgment case to Greensburg high school
An Indiana Court of Appeals panel is set to hit the road Friday to hear oral arguments in a case involving unpaid rent for a leased property used to house minimum security prisoners in Madison County.
Justices set aside default against Greensburg landlords
A Greensburg apartment complex and its property manager will no longer be considered in default after the Indiana Supreme Court reinstated a trial court ruling that found excusable neglect justified setting aside a default judgment.
DCS agrees reversal required in CHINS case over pot
The Indiana Court of Appeals reversed a child in need of services determination based on the Department of Child Services’ agreement that reversal was required because there was insufficient evidence to prove a mother’s marijuana use ever harmed her minor child.
COA reinstates default judgment against Decatur Co. landlords
The Decatur Superior Court must reinstate a default judgment against a local apartment complex and its property manager after the Indiana Court of Appeals found there was no excusable neglect that would justify setting aside the default.
Indiana distributing overdose antidote kits to 34 counties
The Indiana State Department of Health says 95 first responder agencies in 34 rural counties will receive opioid overdose antidote kits. The agency announced Wednesday it’s awarding $127,000 in funding to provide nearly 3,400 naloxone kits and training to the first responders.
Judge twice investigated for gun encounters with ex admonished
A southern Indiana judge who is accused of twice introducing guns into heated encounters with his estranged wife, leading to police intervention, has been publicly admonished by the Indiana Judicial Qualifications Commission.
Courthouse repairs will avoid hurting Indiana tower’s tree
Southeastern Indiana officials say structural repairs planned for a courthouse clock tower will be made with care to avoid damaging the iconic tree growing from its roof.
Indiana woman reaches $640K settlement in son’s jail death
A southeastern Indiana woman has reached a $640,000 settlement in her wrongful death lawsuit that accused local officials of "callousness or reckless indifference" in her son's death at a county jail.
Indiana county’s courthouse tower tree gets checkup
Checking on the health of a tree growing from the courthouse clock tower in southeastern Indiana's Decatur County was among the reasons crews dangled from a crane to inspect the 154-year-old building in Greensburg this week.
Courthouse security plan to add cameras with sweeping views
Security cameras at a southeastern Indiana county's courthouse will rotate 180 degrees and allow officials to monitor every part of the building without cluttering it up.
Court reverses $1,660 attorney fee award in parenting time action
Because there is nothing in the record to show the court considered the resources of the parties when it awarded a guardian $1,660 in attorney fees, the Indiana Court of Appeals reversed Wednesday.
Raccoon hunter cleared of conviction for fetching wayward dog
A raccoon hunter’s misdemeanor conviction was reversed Tuesday when appellate judges determined he wasn’t hunting or chasing wildlife when he retrieved his wandering dog from property where he didn’t have permission to hunt.
Aid rises for those wrongly convicted
Prosecutors and police helped clear more than half of those exonerated in 2012, according to a report by the National Registry of Exonerations.
State could refile charges against Bunch
Although arson and murder charges were dismissed against Kristine Bunch Tuesday in Decatur County, prosecutors may decide to refile charges after further investigation.
State drops charges against mom whose murder, arson convictions were overturned
The state has dropped charges against Kristine Bunch, the Decatur County woman who claimed she was wrongfully convicted of killing her son in a fire in 1995. Bunch was convicted in 1996 of murder and arson, but the Court of Appeals ordered a new trial this year.
Justices decline to take Decatur County arson case
The Indiana Supreme Court Wednesday unanimously decided to deny the state’s petition for transfer of Kristine Bunch v. State, in which a divided Court of Appeals ruled Kristine Bunch is entitled to a new trial. Bunch was convicted of the murder of her son, who died in a fire in their mobile home.