Prosecutor

GOSHEN - The Elkhart County prosecutor is now reviewing the police action shooting of an Elkhart County man. This happened after a traffic stop. As police approached Melvin Bledsoe's truck, he took off, leading them on a 10-minute chase through Goshen last month. It ended when officers say Bledsoe drove his truck into a building. Shortly after that, Goshen police officer Joshua Havens shot and killed Bledsoe. A witness told WSBT his daughter saw Bledsoe shoot at police.

NEW ALBANY, Ind. (AP) - An Indiana judge has named a special prosecutor for the third murder trial of an ex-state trooper accused of killing his family. The Courier-Journal of Louisville, Ky., and the News and Tribune of New Albany report that Special Judge Jonathan Dartt on Thursday appointed former Vanderburgh County Prosecutor Stan Levco to prosecute David Camm's third trial. The Indiana Court of Appeals removed Floyd County Prosecutor Keith Henderson in November, saying his contract to write a book about the case created a conflict of interest.

ROGERS CITY, Mich. (AP) - Attorney General Bill Schuette is accusing a northern Michigan prosecutor of fraudulently getting prescriptions for painkillers. Schuette says he's charging Presque Isle County Prosecutor Richard Steiger with seeing numerous doctors for the same prescription drugs. The 46-year-old Steiger says allegations of fraud are "completely not true. " He says he's the victim of a "political witch hunt" but declined to offer details. Steiger says he saw two pain management doctors for sinus problems, chronic headaches and arthritis.

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Michigan's attorney general is urging the state appeals court to reverse a decision that could help a medical-marijuana user beat a driving offense. Attorney General Bill Schuette says some Traverse City judges are misinterpreting the medical-marijuana law. He says any marijuana in a driver's body is a crime. Two judges have refused to instruct a jury that way in the case of Rodney Koon, who was charged last year with driving while under the influence of drugs.

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) - Law enforcement officials are expressing frustration with Indiana's kidnapping law and Amber Alert guidelines after the abduction of a Terre Haute 4-year-old didn't meet the standards of either. Authorities recovered John Johnson-Christian unharmed in Pikeville, Ky., on Thursday two days after he had vanished from his home. They charged his mother's ex-boyfriend and another woman with criminal confinement. Under Indiana law, kidnapping only occurs under certain conditions, such as the demand for a ransom, but none was demanded in this case.

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) - A western Indiana prosecutor says two police officers won't face criminal charges in the fatal shooting of a motorist who tried to run down one of the officers. Vigo County Prosecutor Terry Modesitt said Wednesday the two West Terre Haute police officers acted in self-defense when they fatally shot 29-year-old James Michael Mundy on Dec. 13. The Tribune-Star reports (http://bit.ly/zPr2cN) Mundy died after being shot twice. Modesitt said his review showed Mundy drove recklessly when he fled from police in a stolen car and that he tried to use that car to run down one of the officers who ordered him at gunpoint to leave the car. He says that officer fired five shots as Mundy tried to run him over and a second officer fired four shots.

MARTINSVILLE, Ind. (AP) - A central Indiana prosecutor doesn't want to give a 10-year-old girl her piggy bank back. The Reporter-Times of Martinsville reports ( http://bit.ly/ziWvCx ) that Morgan County Prosecutor Steve Sonnega has filed a motion asking a Superior Court judge in the central Indiana county to reverse his order to give the piggy bank back to the daughter of Russell Hill. On Jan. 18, members of the Indiana State Police and Indiana Gaming Commission raided Hill's home in rural Morgan County.

NAPPANEE-- Police say a high school math teacher had a romantic relationship with one of his students.  Northwood High School teacher, Zachary Scott, is now charged with two counts of child seduction. The prosecutor said he no longer works at the school. Students WSBT spoke with are very surprised. Some call Scott their favorite teacher. The court document said Scott and his student were in a relationship for about three months. During those three months, their interaction went beyond the classroom.

MIDDLEBURY - An update to a hit-and-run we've been following since July. Police have wrapped up their investigation and turned the case over to the Elkhart County prosecutor. Zion Carlstrom was hit while riding her bike with her brother on July 11 on County Road 35 near Middlebury. The 17-year-old suffered serious injuries to her brain, arms, and legs. She is now recovering at a rehab facility. Police say the man that hit her admitted to driving the car and leaving the scene, but he was never arrested.

This video attached above got a lot of attention earlier this week. Now the prosecutor has released the name of the suspect. They say he is 17-year-old Joshua Kneeland. The prosecutor has filed a delinquency petition in juvenile court and also a petition to get the case waived to adult court. If waived to adult court, he will face two felonies and a misdemeanor. Police say he tried to steal a moped from Tim Gramza on April 1, and then hit him and shot at him. Gramza then shot back.

An update to a shooting in Goshen we told you about last week. At this time the Elkhart County prosecutor is NOT filing charges in what police described as a gang-related drive-by shooting. Goshen Police arrested 19-year-old Diego Ramos, 16-year-old Abraham Delgado, 16-year-old Christian Bueno,16-year-old Alejandro Bueno and a 15-year-old last week. The shooting happened last Sunday at School and Middlebury Streets in Goshen. One person was shot in the arm and another in the stomach.

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) - What's in a name? Well, if it's "Sally," or "Mary," or "David," or "Steve," there can be a lot of assumptions, just based on the name and the gender the name suggests. But what about the name "Sandy"? What if you've never met Sandy, and don't have any clue as to whether Sandy is male or female? Say you hear a story about Sandy being sexually assaulted. Are your assumptions different based on whether you perceive Sandy as male or female?

SOUTH BEND -- Part of the investigation into a deadly crash involving an Indiana state trooper has been turned over to the St. Joseph County prosecutor. William "Ben" Ennis was on his way to help a St. Joseph County police officer when the crash happened last month. It happened at the corner of Ireland and Linden Roads in South Bend. 19-year old Robert Perez was driving the other car and later died from his injuries. Lora Bentley of the St. Joseph County prosecutor's office says her office has received some written reports from Indiana State Police and is waiting for additional information.

ELKHART - Four teenagers in Elkhart are facing felony murder charges for a murder they didn't commit. Now, one of their families is asking the prosecutor to throw out the charges. Last October, 21-year-old Danzele Johnson was shot and killed. Police say it happened while he and four friends broke into an Elkhart home. The homeowner shot Johnson and wasn't charged, because the prosecutors said he was defending himself. In Elkhart Wednesday, family members rallied outside the prosecutor's office to get the murder charges dropped against the four teens who broke into the man's home.

ELKHART COUNTY - Driving around Elkhart County, you may have noticed some new billboards promoting the county prosecutor's office. In big letters, it says “Elkhart Justice.” So, what's it all about and who paid for them. Close to a dozen of them are located at several spots around the county, including two in Elkhart, all with a catch phrase that's hard to miss. Under that is the address of the county prosecutor's website. “It's to catch the attention of the public,” said Prosecutor Curtis Hill.

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) - The Allen County Prosecutor's Office has ruled a Fort Wayne police officer used justifiable force when he fatally shot a man who pointed an assault rifle at him and no charges were filed. The Journal Gazette reports ( http://bit.ly/Y10l1Y ) the prosecutor's office issued a statement Friday after an investigation by the Fort Wayne Police Department and Indiana State Police into the death of 21-year-old Stephen O'Neal Wattley by Jeffery Burkholder Sr., a 31-year veteran of the police department.

The teenager convicted for the beating death an 84-year-old Mishawaka woman, who fled to Africa has been sentenced to 60 years in prison. That sentence is not a surprise to those who sat in court Thursday, but his claim of self defense is. William Karimu, 19, pleaded guilty to beating and stabbing Lois Hickey to death in December of 2011. WSBT's Kristin Bien was in court Thursday morning. Detectives in this case say they were shocked to hear Karimu say he was defending himself.

SOUTH BEND - Five suspects were arraigned on murder charges Monday -- a little more than a week after a victim of a South Bend home invasion and stabbing in late December died. During the late night hours of December 27, police say five men, including three teens, broke into the home of Kent and Sandra Price in the 1000 block of N. Michigan St. and stabbed several people. The Prices suffered stab wounds to their necks. Mrs. Price died in the hospital on January 5. According to the St. Joseph County Prosecutor's Office, Price's death was ruled a homicide in an autopsy conducted on the 7th. The cause of death was determined to be blood loss from multiple sharp force injuries.

A woman held in jail for 11 days for contempt of court after cursing in the county clerk's office won't be prosecuted by the Berrien County prosecutor , but the case is not over. Prosecutor Art Cotter says his office doesn't believe the contempt citation can be legally sustained against LaRue Ford. Berrien County Judge Dennis Wiley found Ford in contempt of court and had her arrested last month after a clerk told Wiley she used bad language at the clerk's office in Niles while trying to clear up a traffic fine.

According to the Elkhart County Prosecutor's Office, the elderly woman found beaten to death in her home last week called police hours before her body was found. This new information comes as charges are filed against the Elkhart teen accused in her death.  The Elkhart County prosecutor tells us 17-year-old Luis Bailey was charged today with murder. He is accused of killing 76-year-old Norma Hopper.  Hopper was found dead in her Elkhart home on Michael Drive a week ago. Police say she called police at 3 a.m. that morning saying someone was ringing her doorbell.  When officers arrived a half hour later they found no one suspicious around her home.  Hopper's niece told WSBT that police did speak with Hopper before they left her house.