72-year sentence upheld for teen convicted in convenience store murder
The Indiana Court of Appeals has affirmed the decades-long sentence against a then-teenager who killed a convenience store clerk during an attempted robbery.
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Investigation underway after man dies at Wayne Co. jail
Indiana authorities are investigating the death of a man being held at a county jail on Saturday. Wayne County Sheriff Randy Retter said in a news release that 57-year-old Dean Lamb collapsed Saturday afternoon in the jail.
Lake County man’s 5-year sentence for shooting upheld
The Indiana Court of Appeals has affirmed that a Lake County man’s five-year sentence for shooting someone multiple times must be served despite his pre-sentencing rehabilitation efforts.
COA: Son who threatened mom with unloaded pellet gun used ‘deadly weapon’
A man whose felony convictions in a domestic violence case were enhanced because he possessed and used a weapon that turned out to be an unloaded and possibly broken pellet gun lost his appeal arguing the charges against him were wrongly aggravated and that he was a victim of double jeopardy.
Split COA affirms ex-doctor’s probation revocation
An order for a former doctor involved in a pill mill scheme to serve thousands of days in jail for violating probation has been affirmed. A divided Indiana Court of Appeals panel concluded there was enough evidence to prove a new offense was committed.
Reversal: Dealing narcotics conviction not supported by sufficient evidence
The Indiana Court of Appeals has reversed a woman’s felony conviction for dealing narcotics, finding there was insufficient evidence to prove she committed the crime.
Burglary conviction upheld in dispute over pet cats
A man who battered and blinded another man for sending his pet cats to an animal shelter lost his appeal of his felony burglary conviction Wednesday.
Trespass conviction overturned for man banned from government building
A trespassing conviction has been vacated for a man who was banned from the Evansville government complex, with the Indiana Court of Appeals addressing first-impression issues of whether outright bans from public buildings are permissible.
COA tosses belated probation revocation appeal
Indiana Supreme Court rulings do not permit a belated appeal of a probation revocation, the Indiana Court of Appeals held in dismissing a man’s appeal in such a case Thursday.
Elkhart drug offender granted Holcomb’s first sentence commutation
A convicted drug offender from northern Indiana will be released from prison about 1½ years early after Gov. Eric Holcomb commuted his sentence. The order issued Wednesday was the first sentence commutation during Holcomb’s term.
Lawyer facing fraud, theft charges suspended for noncooperation
A law firm name attorney in a northern Indiana county seat community who is facing multiple felony fraud and theft charges has been suspended from the practice of law after he failed to sufficiently respond to four ethics investigations by the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission.
Michigan City mayor facing felony charges amid reelection bid
The 2019 Michigan City mayoral election is facing a controversial legal undercurrent as felony charges remain pending against Mayor Ron Meer. But as the LaPorte County court system searches for a judge who can take the case, Meer is alleging an “untenable conflict of interest” and possible political motivations should remove the proceedings from the LaPorte County Prosecutor’s Office.
Murder, insanity appeal focuses on police interrogation, Miranda
“I’m done talking,” Bargersville criminal defense attorney Stacy Uliana repeated before a panel of appellate judges on behalf of her client, Joshua Risinger. Those statements Risinger made to police interrogators who continued to question him form the basis of his appeal.
Porter County driver accused of letting students drive bus sentenced
A former northwestern Indiana school bus driver who authorities say allowed children as young as 11 years old drive a bus has been sentenced to probation. Joandrea McAtee, Portage, was sentenced Monday to nearly two years of probation.
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.
Man’s drug convictions tossed for speedy trial rule violation
A man who was convicted of drug-dealing charges and sentenced to 12 years in prison won a reversal Wednesday because his trial was wrongly continued when the state could not timely produce lab results. The appellate court noted a lengthy prosecutorial delay in providing the evidence for lab testing was to blame.
Man who killed officer in hit-and-run loses appeal for driver’s license
A Lake County man convicted in a hit-and-run that killed a correctional officer and injured three others in 2012 will not be getting his driver’s license back anytime soon, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday.
Justices reaffirm life without parole in brutal murder
A Southern Indiana convicted of killing two people will spend the rest of his life behind bars, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled Monday, finding a trial court did not impermissibly rely on aggravating circumstances outside those listed by statute in imposing a sentence of life without parole.
7th Circuit overturns mandatory minimum sentence in gun case
An Indiana man convicted of at least four felonies could receive a lesser sentence after the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday that only two of the felonies met the requirements for mandatory minimum sentencing spelled out in a 2015 U.S. Supreme Court decision.
SVF conviction upheld over search, prior felony objections
A man’s conviction for unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon will stand after the Indiana Court of Appeals found a warrantless search of the vehicle he was riding in at the time of his arrest did not violate federal or state constitutional protections.