Rockville man gets 30 years in wife’s beating death
A western Indiana man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to fatally punching his wife.
mental health
Articles
Ruling striking law in homeless case mirrors Indianapolis debate
A California federal appeals court ruling that homeless individuals cannot be criminally charged for sleeping on public property reflected sentiments last fall that helped stop a proposed Indianapolis ordinance that barred people from sitting or lying on public property during certain hours.
Amended ‘red flag law’ bill advances out of Senate
A firearms-related bill aiming to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals received the go-ahead to advance in the statehouse Tuesday, taking one step closer to becoming law.
At launch of 100th problem-solving court, judges hail results
As Indiana’s 100th problem-solving court begins operations in Pulaski County, jurists presiding over the 99 established courts praise the problem-solving initiative as an innovative approach to addressing personal and societal woes.
Reversal: COA orders return of once-‘dangerous’ man’s 51 guns
After more than six years of being considered statutorily “dangerous” and unfit to possess firearms, a man whose 51 guns were taken from him by the state for his bizarre behavior will have them returned to his care.
Gun bill to close gap in ‘red flag law’ passes Senate committee
A bill that would allow Indiana law enforcement to prevent people who are deemed dangerous from purchasing a firearm pursuant to the state’s “red flag law” passed after an hours-long committee hearing Wednesday.
COA upholds trial court’s denial of motion to waive juvenile murder delinquent to adult court
The Indiana Court of Appeals declined to reverse a trial court’s decision not to waive a juvenile murder case to adult court after it concluded there was sufficient evidence to support the decision.
COA affirms commitment for woman with suicidal ideations
An Indiana appellate panel affirmed the commitment and forced-medication order of a woman found to be a danger to herself, finding there was clear and convincing evidence to support both orders despite her contentions otherwise.
In heartbreak of death penalty case, attorneys find inspiration
Indianapolis attorneys had spent years — one nearly two decades — trying to secure justice for Domineque Ray, an inmate on Alabama’s death row. Their efforts were defeated Feb. 7, when Ray was executed before their eyes.
Justices grant transfer in three juvenile, young adult cases
The Indiana Supreme Court chose to grant transfer to three cases during the past week, including commitments to the Indiana Department of Corrections. The court also granted transfer and decided a case granting relief to a deported “Dreamer.”
Hamilton County implements program to stop opioid overdoses
An opioid overdose prevention program has been started in Hamilton County.
Man seeks return of 51 guns taken under ‘red flag law’
An Indianapolis man is again petitioning for the return of his 51 confiscated firearms after a judge previously determined him dangerous due to his bizarre behavior near a Bloomington bar. But an Indiana Court of Appeals panel Tuesday seemed to struggle with the argument that he was still dangerous six years later.
US Supreme Court rules out death penalty for Texas inmate
A long legal fight over whether a Texas death row inmate could be executed ended Tuesday after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the 59-year-old man is intellectually disabled and thus cannot be put to death.
7th Circuit remands disability case on ALJ’s improper assessment
A decision denying a man’s application for disability and supplemental security income was remanded after the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals found an administrative law judge erroneously discredited him and improperly assessed his functional abilities.
Mass. woman begins jail sentence for texting-suicide conviction
A Massachusetts woman who sent her suicidal boyfriend a barrage of text messages urging him to kill himself was jailed Monday on an involuntary manslaughter conviction nearly five years after he died in a truck filled with toxic gas.
7th Circuit remands disability case over ALJ’s errant hypotheticals
A rejection of a man’s application for disability and supplemental security income was remanded after the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals found an administrative law judge’s hypothetical question ignored one of the man’s most significant deficits.
Man arrested for breaking into Mellencamp’s Indiana home
An Indianapolis man has been arrested after ramming his SUV through a security gate at the home of rocker John Mellencamp and kicking in a door. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department said 48-year-old Robert P. Carter was arrested about 6 a.m. Thursday by officers responding to an alarm at Mellencamp’s home outside Bloomington.
COA reverses commitment order, doesn’t address judge’s missing signature
An Indiana appellate panel has reversed a man’s involuntary civil commitment on the grounds of insufficient evidence, though the judges sidestepped the issue of whether the commitment order was valid considering it was signed by a commissioner, not a judge.
Lawsuit filed over gay inmate’s suicide at Noble Co. jail
A northeastern Indiana county faces a wrongful death lawsuit alleging a gay inmate killed himself in its jail after being denied mental health treatment and enduring harassment over his sexuality. Markus Middleton’s partner is suing Noble County’s sheriff, jail commander and jail staff.
COA again addresses summarily approved commitment orders, finds timeliness waiver
The Indiana Court of Appeals has once again weighed in on the issue of whether commitment orders approved only summarily by a trial court judge are valid, finding Thursday that a civil commitment litigant waived her challenge of the allegedly defective order by not raising the issue in trial court. The appellate panel also found sufficient evidence to support a finding that the litigant was gravely disabled.