COA orders new hearing on $32K civil forfeiture
A Hancock County trial court must revisit the forfeiture of more than $32,000 related to a marijuana bust after the Indiana Court of Appeals found errors in various evidentiary rulings.
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Project to place overdose antidote kits in every Indiana county
Indiana is partnering with the nonprofit Overdose Lifeline Inc. to expand access to the opioid overdose antidote naloxone through exterior dispensers available at all hours.
Forfeiture case that went to SCOTUS before Indiana high court for third time
For the third time, the case regarding the forfeiture of a Marion man’s Land Rover went back before the Indiana Supreme Court on Thursday. Justices were asked once again to allow the state to forfeit the vehicle that Tyson Timbs was driving in 2013 when he was arrested for drug dealing.
COA remands probation revocation based on ‘imprecise’ evidence
An order that a Delaware County man serve nearly 17 years in the Department of Correction following technical probation violations has been reversed, with the Indiana Court of Appeals remanding for a resentencing not based on “imprecise” evidence.
Indiana gets $12.5 million in opioid settlement with McKinsey & Co.
The Hoosier state will bring home $12.5 million in a multistate settlement with a consulting firm that played a major role working for opioid companies accused of profiting from the opioid epidemic, including Purdue Pharma, the Indiana Attorney General’s office announced Thursday.
Supreme Court adopts COA ruling, remands to correct improper sentence
The Indiana Supreme Court on Tuesday summarily affirmed a Court of Appeals decision remanding an improper sentence imposed in a drug case but rejected a convict’s argument that he was wrongly denied his request for a speedy trial.
Despite human trafficking victimization, woman’s 14-year sentence upheld on appeal
Despite the trial court’s erroneous failure to consider a woman’s history as a victim of human trafficking, her 14-year sentence on felony charges is not inappropriate, the Indiana Court of Appeals has ruled.
Hammond man facing federal drug sentence charged in Capitol breach
A Northwest Indiana man charged with participating in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol could face trial in Washington on misdemeanor counts. The man had been awaiting sentencing in a separate case involving gang-related drug conspiracy charges.
US executes Virginia gang killer despite COVID-19 infection
The federal government executed a drug trafficker Thursday in Terre Haute for slaying seven people in a burst of violence in Virginia’s capital in 1992, with some witnesses in the death chamber building applauding after the 52-year-old was pronounced dead.
Man loses post-conviction appeal seeking probation, not parole
A man who unsuccessfully argued that he should be released to parole rather than probation failed to persuade the Indiana Court of Appeals on Thursday.
Meth convictions upheld despite rewritten jury instructions
A trial court that rewrote the jury instructions offered by the Indiana Supreme Court proves everybody is an editor, but the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled the editing did not create an error that would overturn the defendant’s convictions.
Money laundering conviction, sentence vacated in federal drug bust
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has vacated a man’s conviction and sentence for conspiracy to launder money for his involvement in a cross-country drug organization linked to the Sinaloa drug cartel that made its way to Avon, Indiana.
DOJ: Operation Legend yields 94 violent crime arrests in Indy
Almost 100 individuals accused of violent crime in Indianapolis have been arrested and charged through a federal program designed to decrease violence across major U.S. cities, the Department of Justice has announced.
Community Justice Campus nears completion
Marion County’s ambitious plan to put the various pieces of the local justice system onto a single campus is on schedule to be completed at the end of 2021. The Indianapolis-Marion County Community Justice Center, located just southeast of downtown in the Twin Aire neighborhood, will be home to the county jail, the sheriff’s office and the county courthouse. Earlier this year, the Assessment and Intervention Center opened and is treating individuals with mental health and addiction issues.
COA upholds gang-related sentence enhancement
An Evansville man whose sentence was enhanced for gang-related activity could not convince the Indiana Court of Appeals that he was prosecuted twice for the same offense in violation of the Indiana Constitution.
Appeals court affirms termination of mother’s parental rights
A Marion County mother has failed to convince the Indiana Court of Appeals that her parental rights over her 13-year-old daughter should be reinstated.
Indiana police now using drug-detection device on drivers
The Indiana Criminal Justice Institute is providing 52 police agencies across the state with a new roadside tool that can detect the presence of cocaine, opiates, cannabis and other drugs.
Bell named acting US attorney for Northern District
Gary T. Bell has been named the acting United States attorney for the Northern District of Indiana following the confirmation of former Northern District Attorney Thomas L. Kirsch to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.
In 1st impression case, COA says officers must explain training to get warrants based on drug odors
The Indiana Court of Appeals has reversed the denial of a motion to suppress drug-related evidence found during a search of a Greene County man’s home. The appellate court ruled on an issue of first impression that probable cause for a search warrant cannot be based only on an officer’s detection of the smell of marijuana without additional information about the officer’s training.
Justices grant transfer in one case, decline 21 others
Indiana Supreme Court justices declined to hear 21 cases of out 22 petitions for transfer last week, agreeing to hear just one case concerning a man’s lookalike drug-related conviction in a search and seizure dispute.