By Jessica Karins, Greenfield Daily Reporter GREENFIELD — County officials are in dispute after the county’s prosecutor raised concerns that some defendants in the court system may be treated unfairly during sentencing because they are not fluent English speakers. Prosecutor Brent Eaton is advocating for general sentencing guidelines that would help avoid the issue of
By Kristy Deer, Greenfield Daily Reporter HANCOCK COUNTY — Making sure the county’s most vulnerable children are cared for properly is a priority with officials from the prosecutor’s office. Despite the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic the past year, the prosecutor’s office set a record for total child support collections in a one-year period,
By Kristy Deer, Greenfield Daily Reporter HANCOCK COUNTY — Judges were set last week to test their new courtroom safety protocol for a 12-person jury, but the case was settled through a plea agreement and the trial never took place. Still, after suspending jury trials for months, the courts are pushing forward to resume them
By Kristy Deer, Greenfield Daily Reporter HANCOCK COUNTY — It’s not a free “get out of jail card,” Prosecutor Brent Eaton said. But bail review and early release for inmates are hot topics at the Hancock County prosecutor’s office. The American Civil Liberties Union’s efforts to bring about the release of inmates held in Indiana jails
By Jessica Karins, Greenfield Daily Reporter GREENFIELD — Hancock County Sheriff Brad Burkhart has a proposal for a new program he believes could help county residents struggling with mental health issues or substance abuse, while avoiding charging them with a crime. “The state mindset right now is mental health, addictions. They’re trying to come up with
By Kristy Deer, Greenfield Daily Reporter HANCOCK COUNTY — Prosecutor Brent Eaton has hired a new chief deputy prosecutor. Aimee Herring has prosecuted major crimes, including homicides, as a deputy prosecutor in St. Joseph County. She also has worked with a special victims unit dealing with domestic violence and crimes against children for the past several
By Jessica Karins, Greenfield Daily Reporter GREENFIELD — With the approval of a plan to build a new sheriff’s administration building at the site of the new Hancock County jail, county government is looking for ways to use other county buildings that maximize benefits for all departments. It will be at least five years before any
By Kristy Deer, Greenfield Daily Reporter HANCOCK COUNTY — They call it the Bat Cave: the basement of the Hancock County prosecutor’s office, where several employees have offices. The area of the building recently lived up to the name when employees found a bat hanging around in one of the deputy prosecutor’s offices. Unfortunately, it wasn’t
HANCOCK COUNTY — It’s a difficult job, full of multiple responsibilities, but the group of people who work for Hancock County Child Support Services know that without their efforts, children will struggle. The department is part of the Hancock County prosecutor’s office and is led by Susan Sherwood, the child support director. Sherwood has developed
FORTVILLE — The door recently installed at Vernon Township’s new fire station isn’t big like the bay doors spanning its large garage. Instead, it’s just big enough to place a baby in the container inside. That container, which is equipped with heating and cooling features, immediately locks after a baby is placed inside. A circuit