In wake of Jamey Noel investigation, lawmakers advance bill to increases oversight over jail funds
The Clark County Judicial Center in Jeffersonville, Indiana, which houses the jail and the sheriff's where Jamey Noel formerly worked. (Photo by Casey Smith/Indiana Capital Chronicle)
Bipartisan momentum continued Thursday for a bill that seeks to hold Indiana sheriffs more accountable for managing jail funds.
House Bill 1208, authored by Rep. Rep. Gregory Steuerwald, R-Avon, would increase the oversight over a county jail's commissary fund, requiring the State Board of Accounts (SBOA) to create training requirements for the sheriffs responsible for their county's fund.
The bill also requires sheriff's offices to report receipts and disbursements from the fund to the county fiscal body at least four times per year. Current law only requires the sheriff to provide those records semiannually.
It passed out of the Senate Local Government Committee 8-0 on Thursday and now heads to the chamber floor. The legislation previously advanced unanimously from both the House Local Government Committee and the House chamber.
Steuerwald's proposal comes less than a year after a massive state audit of Clark County Jail's commissary fund revealed former Sheriff Jamey Noel's 'questionable' and 'unsupported' payments totaling over $458,000. The report pointed to multiple personal vehicles, a $1,400 75-inch television and other purchases with those funds.
He pleaded guilty to 27 felonies last August, including charges of theft, money laundering, corrupt business influence, official misconduct, obstruction of justice and tax evasion. He's currently serving out a 15-year prison sentence. The charges were part of a massive Indiana State Police investigation that has included more than 70 search warrants and led to five arrests.
Former Indiana sheriff Jamey Noel sentenced to 15 years in prison as part of plea deal
Auditors alleged he wrongly dipped or shorted more than $900,000 from the commissary fund, overall. Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita is now seeking to recover those funds through court-sanctioned sales of Noel's seized property.
Noel was the Clark County sheriff from 2015 until the end of 2022. During his tenure, he also served as the Republican Party chair for Clark County and Indiana's 9th Congressional District, making him a sort of gatekeeper for southern Indiana political hopefuls over the last decade.
'We're trying to be very transparent, getting the sheriffs to be proactive,' said Steve Luce, executive director for the Indiana Sheriffs Association.
He said Thursday that the association already had several 'very productive' meetings with SBOA to establish better commissary fund procedures in response to 'some of the activity that was getting a lot of media attention down south.'
Jennifer Gauger, SBOA's chief of staff, said the state examiner 'is a big proponent of education and training, and is very happy to continue to strengthen our relationship with the sheriffs … and really help in any way.'
Bill sponsor Sen. Brett Clark, R-Avon, additionally called the bill 'a collaborative effort' between the Association of Indiana Counties, the sheriffs association and SBOA.
'I think it builds on some work that was done in the past in this area to really provide some additional transparency,' he said. 'And this way, everyone in the state, all 92 counties, are on the same page … to make sure the sheriffs and their staff understand what is required of us.'
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