Probation revocation affirmed following new federal offenses
The Indiana Court of Appeals has affirmed the revocation of man’s probation after he committed multiple new offenses.
Drugs
Articles
Ex-deputy prosecutor who retaliated against detective suspended
A former Knox County chief deputy prosecutor has been suspended from the practice of law for abusing his prosecutorial authority as part of a retaliation campaign against a detective who discovered his sexual relationship with a criminal defendant. The elected Knox County prosecutor also faces a related disciplinary case, according to the Indiana Supreme Court.
COA reverses termination of mother’s parental rights
A trial court erred in terminating a mother’s parental rights to her two minor children, finding the potential of the children’s reunification with their father and their continuing bond with their mom made the termination of their relationship with their mother not in their best interests.
7th Circuit remands one drug sentence enhancement, lets another stand
One of two men convicted as conspirators in an Indiana meth ring will be resentenced as a result of his appeal while the other man convicted in the scheme will serve his full 25-year sentence, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals held Wednesday.
Double jeopardy found in gun convictions, but sentence affirmed
A felon convicted on two gun charges and sentenced to an upper-range prison term received token relief from the Indiana Court of Appeals on Thursday, but he still is ordered to serve more than 10 years behind bars.
Rush highlights problem-solving courts, pretrial reform in 2020 State of the Judiciary
The importance of community collaboration in the criminal justice system was the key message of Indiana Chief Justice Loretta Rush’s 2020 State of the Judiciary address.
Bogus $50 bill’s pot purchase can’t snuff out counterfeiting conviction
A St. Joseph County man failed to persuade the Indiana Court of Appeals to toss his counterfeiting conviction on his argument that his alleged pot dealer lied to police about how he had received a phony $50 bill.
Man angered by sentence smashes 19th-century courthouse door
A man who yelled obscenities at a judge in Columbus who sentenced him on drug-dealing charges smashed an “irreplaceable” 19th-century glass doorway as he was being led from court, authorities said.
Ex-Chicago cop wins resentencing appeal
An ex-Chicago cop serving time for drug-related convictions linked to his connection with the Latin Kings street gang will have an opportunity to have his request for a reduced sentence considered, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday.
Jeffersonville man incompetent again for trial in gruesome killing
A southern Indiana man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend and eating parts of her body has once again been found incompetent to stand trial in the 2014 slaying, months after his first trial ended in a mistrial. An agreement between Joseph Oberhansley’s defense attorneys and Clark County prosecutors stipulates that he is to be transported to a state hospital for competency restoration, based on two evaluations filed in December by psychiatrists.
2 charged in man’s fatal beating in Indiana forest face joint trial
Two men accused of beating a man to death with a pipe in a northern Indiana forest are facing a joint trial in April.
SCOTUS, district courts see increased filings in last year
The number of cases filed in the United States Supreme Court and federal district courts increased in the last year, while the regional courts of appeal saw a slight filing decrease, according to Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.’s 2019 Year-End Report on the Federal Judiciary.
Illinois sees first legal sales of recreational marijuana
The sale of marijuana for recreational purposes became legal Wednesday in Illinois to the delight of pot fans — many who began lining up hours early at dispensaries. Meanwhile, legislative leaders in Indiana remain opposed to marijuana legalization in the Hoosier state.
Lilly wins another patent infringement case over cancer drug Alimta
Eli Lilly and Co. has won another patent-infringement lawsuit against a competitor who was preparing to launch an alternative form of the chemotherapy drug Alimta prior to its patent expiration in May 2022.
Legal marijuana sales may spark Midwest interstate tension
Retailers legally selling marijuana for the past month in Michigan say they have drawn customers from surrounding Midwestern states where the drug remains illegal and, as Illinois prepares to joins the recreational market on Wednesday, officials are renewing warnings to consumers against carrying such products over state lines.
Civil forfeiture amendments don’t defeat prior forfeiture action, COA says
Legislative amendments to Indiana’s much-debated civil forfeiture scheme did not defeat a pre-existing forfeiture action in state court, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Friday, finding the amendments did not constitute an ex post facto law.
COA: No Fourth Amendment violation in traffic stop search
A man convicted on drug charges after an Evansville traffic stop has lost his appellate argument that evidence of the drugs was wrongly admitted because the evidence came from an unconstitutional search.
Illinois man gets 55 years in stabbing of cousin in Indiana
An Illinois man has been sentenced to 55 years in prison in the 2017 murder of his cousin, who was stabbed 63 times and found near a road in Indiana. Derrick Lavelle Wandrick, 36, was sentenced in Kosciusko Circuit Court Monday for the murder of 21-year-old David Lamont Strowder Jr.
COA: Dealing statute not unconstitutionally vague
A Huntington County man who called the local sheriff and said he “was strung out on meth and to come get him and take it all out of his house,” unsuccessfully argued before the Indiana Court of Appeals that the statute under which he was convicted was unconstitutionally vague.
Paroled killer who asked agent to help find meth pipes loses appeal
A paroled killer who admitted to smoking meth and then asked law enforcement to remove the pipes he smoked from his home so his girlfriend wouldn’t find them did not convince the Indiana Court of Appeals on Thursday that those statements were inadmissible.