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Sunday, July 13, 2008
Ind. Courts - A second Delaware County judge wants answers re handling of forfeiture cases in Muncie
Updating this ILB entry from Friday, Rick Yencer of the Muncie Star-Press reports today in a story that begins:
The Muncie-Delaware County Drug Task Force, through its attorney, county Prosecutor Mark McKinney, disposed of money and property from a high-profile drug dealer last year without a court order.The use of a confidential agreement that distributed over $50,000 in cash seized during the arrest of suspected drug dealer Adrian Kirtz, and his acquaintance, Lacie Williams, was done after Delaware Circuit Court 4 Judge John Feick ordered the assets frozen and not distributed.
Feick assumed that order was still in place until informed of the confidential agreement by Delaware Circuit Court 2 Judge Richard Dailey, who is investigating whether the prosecutor committed fraud in handling forfeiture cases.
"That causes me concern," said Feick, about the DTF distributing funds and property when the court ordered them frozen.
On Friday, Feick ordered McKinney's office to file a status report on the forfeiture case within 10 days.
The confidential settlement agreement between the DTF, Kirtz and Williams gave the DTF $35,774 in cash, a 2003 GMC Denali, a 1993 Kawasaki motorcycle and other personal property from the defendants' residence.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on July 13, 2008 12:23 PM
Posted to Indiana Courts