Kokomo man gets in-home detention for deadly 2019 crash
A Kokomo man has been sentenced to a month of in-home detention for a 2019 crash that killed a 76-year-old woman in a department store’s parking lot.
Drugs
Articles
7th Circuit reverses, orders resentencing after finding man’s battery conviction serves as ACCA predicate
A man convicted on several drug counts who argued that a Northern Indiana judge was wrong about his armed robbery conviction has lost an argument before the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, which reversed for the federal government in his case.
7th Circuit upholds search warrant that contained false information
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with the Northern Indiana District Court that a federal agent’s explanations were plausible and he was “at worst, negligent…” when he obtained a search warrant by telling a magistrate judge a controlled delivery of drugs would be made and then told the magistrate judge the illegal drugs had been recovered even though no drugs had ever been delivered or retrieved.
COA: Expired prescription doesn’t support narcotics possession conviction
A woman who still had Oxycodone pills after her prescription had expired should not have been convicted for possession of a narcotic drug, the Indiana Court of Appeals has ruled.
Worse before better: Addiction experts express concern, anticipation as overdose deaths skyrocket
Isolation, economic anxiety and fear of the coronavirus were dangerous fruits of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly for individuals struggling with a substance use disorder, experts say. Bundled together, those factors made for a devastating year of increased drug overdose deaths that reached an all-time nationwide high.
Indiana getting $1 million to help deal with opioid use
The federal government is awarding Indiana more than $1 million to train workers in 25 counties to help deal with widespread opioid use, addiction and overdoses.
Sentence affirmed for drug distributor in guideline calculation dispute
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed a man’s 23-year sentence for his drug and firearms convictions despite his assertion that the district court erred by including both uncharged and acquitted drug amounts in his guideline calculation.
50-year war on drugs imprisoned millions of Black Americans
Fifty years ago this summer, President Richard Nixon declared a war on drugs. Today, with the U.S. mired in a deadly opioid epidemic that did not abate during the coronavirus pandemic’s worst days, it is questionable whether anyone won the war. Yet the loser is clear: Black and Latino Americans, their families and their communities.
Portland man gets 52 months in son’s methamphetamine death
An eastern Indiana man whose infant son died from methamphetamine intoxication was sentenced Monday to more than four years in prison for his role in the child’s death.
19 people indicted on meth, fentanyl trafficking charges
A federal grand jury has indicted 19 people on charges alleging their involvement in a drug-trafficking organization believed to be linked to homicides in Indianapolis, officials said Thursday.
Judge appoints attorney for man in Gary bank guard’s killing
A federal magistrate appointed a public defender for a man during his first court appearance in the June killing of a security guard shot to death outside a Gary bank during a robbery.
National, state wiretaps see decreases during 2020
Federal and state judges reported a combined 26% decrease in authorized wiretaps in 2020, according to court statistics released last week. Convictions stemming from cases involving electronic surveillance also decreased significantly.
Lake Co. father of drowned brothers receives 16-year prison sentence
A 16-year prison sentence was handed Wednesday to a northwest Indiana man who pleaded guilty to two counts of neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury in the drownings of his two sons.
High court rejects defendant’s vindictive-prosecution claim
The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal from a Virginia drug dealer who is serving a 41-year murder sentence that he claims is the result of vindictive prosecution.
Justices rule against low-level crack cocaine offenders
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Monday that low-level crack cocaine offenders convicted more than a decade ago can’t take advantage of a 2018 federal law to seek reduced prison time.
Former magistrate banned from bench gets 180-day suspension for probation violations
A former Hamilton County magistrate who was banned from the bench and put on disciplinary probation after being convicted in a drug sting has been suspended from the practice of law in Indiana for 180 days without automatic reinstatement.
Majority justices uphold return of seized Land Rover that went to SCOTUS
After seven-plus years of litigation, the Indiana Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a Marion man seeking the return of his seized white Land Rover. The majority justices concluded Thursday that Tyson Timbs met his high burden of showing that the harshness of his vehicle’s forfeiture was grossly disproportionate to the gravity of his underlying drug dealing offense and culpability for the vehicle’s misuse.
Appellate panel affirms denial of PCR in meth manufacturing case
A man whose meth manufacturing case has twice been through the appellate process has lost in a third appeal, this time challenging the denial of his petition for post-conviction relief.
Officers’ request to see identifying logo not an ‘illegal search,’ COA rules
A man convicted of multiple felonies after using counterfeit money at a drug store failed to convince the Indiana Court of Appeals that an officer’s request to see an identifying logo on his clothes violated his constitutional rights.
Shelbyville man’s corrupt business influence conviction divides COA panel
Indiana Court of Appeals judges split in a decision regarding low-level drug offenses after a Shelbyville man selling meth to someone undercover was convicted of corrupt business influence.