Walmart sues US in pre-emptive strike in opioid abuse battle
Walmart is suing the U.S. government in a pre-emptive strike in the battle over its responsibility in the opioid abuse crisis.
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Maintaining common nuisance conviction reversed
A lack of evidence proving the elements of maintaining a common nuisance means a woman’s conviction on that charge must be vacated and her drug-dealing sentence reduced by 18 months, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Friday.
Trump grants clemency to former Gary boxer, 4 others
President Donald Trump on Wednesday granted clemency to a former Gary boxer and four others convicted of committing drug and financial crimes. All of the cases were pushed by prison reform advocate and Trump ally Alice Johnson.
Reversal: Trial court can consider merits of sentence modification motion
The Indiana Court of Appeals has reversed for a convicted man seeking to modify his sentence, finding that the Elkhart Superior Court erred when it determined that it lacked the statutory authority to consider the merits of his motion.
Justices vacate habitual offender enhancement after 6-year delay in retrial
A man serving an 80-year sentence for a drug conviction will have his sentence reduced to 50 years after the Indiana Supreme Court ordered that his habitual offender enhancement be vacated.
TPR affirmed for father with drug, arrest problems
The Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed on Tuesday the termination of a St. Joseph County father’s parent-child relationship with his daughter after finding no due process violations against him.
Parents charged in death of boy accidentally shot by sibling
The parents of a 1-year-old boy who was shot to death earlier this year in South Bend by a gun accidentally fired by his 4-year-old sibling have been charged.
Justices: Drug test results properly admitted in parental rights termination hearing
A couple’s argument that their drug test results amounted to hearsay and should not have been admitted in court failed to convince the Indiana Supreme Court, which found the drug test reports were admissible under the records of a regularly conducted business activity exception.
Seymour man convicted in meth overdose death of his son, 8
A southern Indiana man has been convicted in the death of his 8-year-old son, who died from an overdose of methamphetamine he had ingested after possibly mistaking the drug for food.
Hamilton County magistrate judge sentenced in meth case faces discipline
More than 18 months after his arrest on felony charges stemming from a methamphetamine sting, a former Hamilton County magistrate judge also faces a judicial discipline case related to his conduct. Police said that conduct included biting the thumb of an officer who tried to pry a bag of meth from the jurist’s mouth.
Justices uphold plea agreement but remand for new trial court order
The Indiana Supreme Court on Monday affirmed lower court rulings upholding a man’s challenged plea agreement but remanded for the entry of trial court findings and conclusions.
‘Say her name’: Louisville to pay $12M to Breonna Taylor’s family
Months after the police killing of Breonna Taylor thrust her name to the forefront of a national reckoning on race and excessive use of force, the city of Louisville agreed to pay the Black woman’s family $12 million and reform police practices as part of a settlement announced Tuesday.
Tippecanoe Co. man faces January trial in twin sons’ 2014 deaths
A northern Indiana man whose guilty plea in the 2014 house fire deaths of his twin 3-year-old sons was vacated last year is set for a January trial after being charged a second time in their deaths.
Marijuana, paraphernalia possession not double jeopardy, COA finds
Applying a new test established this year by the Indiana Supreme Court to weigh claims of substantive double jeopardy, a retired justice authored an opinion Tuesday that found convictions of possession of marijuana and paraphernalia are not duplicative punishment for the same crime.
Man, 19, arrested after standoff, caught after escaping hospital
A 19-year-old Lake Station man was arrested Friday by police in northwestern Indiana hours after he escaped from a hospital where he was taken following a standoff with officers, police said.
Statements in meth case weren’t admitted in error, COA rules
The Indiana Court of Appeals has affirmed a man’s drug-related convictions, finding that at least one of his admitted statements made to police was volunteered and not erroneously admitted.
Appeals court reverses suppression of evidence in stolen gun case
The grant of a motion to suppress all evidence found in a man’s home during a search by police has been reversed, with the Indiana Court of Appeals finding a reasonable probability for law enforcement to believe that a stolen gun would be there.
Judge halts planned Friday execution of Kansas girl’s killer
A judge in Washington halted the federal government’s planned Friday execution of a man who kidnapped, raped and killed a 10-year-old Kansas girl, saying the law requires the government to get a prescription for the drug it plans to use.
Divided appeals panel upholds termination of dad’s parental rights
A father who disregarded court-mandated drug screens, left his child with a relative and refused to participate in services lost his termination of parental rights appeal Tuesday. One judge, however, would have reversed based on the facts of a case that began with the child’s removal due to mother’s drug use and what the dissenting judge saw as “an effort to punish Father.”
Past felony prevents Muncie councilman from holding office, COA rules
A Muncie city councilman could not persuade the Indiana Court of Appeals to determine on Friday that he is still eligible for the position after another candidate revealed that the councilman has a felony record.