Election winners take the oath during special ceremony
12/18/20 9:09 PM
HANCOCK COUNTY His family spent a lot of time using a steam iron on D.J. Davis’ black judge’s robe earlier in the day. Underneath the robe, he was wearing a shirt and tie in purple, his father’s favorite color.
With his wife, Heather; two sons, Kevin and Ryan; along with his brothers, his mom and his in-laws standing by his side, Davis placed his hand on the family Bible and was sworn into office as the new Hancock County Superior Court 1 judge.
“This whole day has just been great getting warmed up for this,” Davis said. “I’m overwhelmed because you look forward to this and then there is a lull in between the win and this, but it is happening.”
Police: Woman sold meth to informant
12/18/20 12:04 AM
HANCOCK COUNTY An undercover sting operation led to the arrest of an Indianapolis woman who has been accused of dealing methamphetamine in the county.
Ashley Marie Farmer, 23, was arrested Monday, Dec. 14, and charged with a Level 3 felony count of dealing methamphetamine and two Level 4 felony charges of dealing methamphetamine. The charges stem from several incidents during the summer.
The most serious count carries a sentence of up to 16 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
According to a probable cause affidavit, officials from the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department conducted a narcotics operation between July 1 and Sept. 1. A confidential informant purchased methamphetamine from Farmer on multiple occasions, the affidavit said.
Greenfield Granite ordered to pay $379,500
12/17/20 6:04 AM
HANCOCK COUNTY Mary Collins was the first person who called authorities to let them know a longtime local business, Greenfield Granite, had been taking money from customers and not providing a service.
Collins lost $1,850 after paying Greenfield Granite to make a memorial bench for her husband’s grave site. Collins invested another $2,300 to get the memorial elsewhere.
While she was pleased to hear a judge had ruled in favor of the Indiana attorney general’s office in its civil case against the business late last week awarding $379,500 to the state she doesn’t know for certain what the default judgment means for her and the nearly 70 other former customers who were part of the state’s lawsuit.
County courts told to delay jury trials
12/16/20 6:21 AM
HANCOCK COUNTY The county’s courts have once again been asked by state officials to delay jury trials due to a surge in COVID-19 cases.
While the local courts will continue to operate as fully as possible, conducting other tasks such as bench trials, hearings and sentencings the mandate will affect the caseload of the county’s three courts for weeks.
The Indiana Supreme Court handed down an order suspending all jury trials statewide late Monday, Dec. 14. The moratorium will last until March 1, 2021. The court cited the need for “drastic measures” as COVID-19 numbers continue to rise. State officials said in-person jury trials pose an “exceptional risk” to everyone involved even if every precaution is taken.