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Saturday, July 19, 2008

Ind. Courts - More on: Allen Circuit Court Judge Thomas J. Felts arrested in Indy

Updating this entry from earlier today, Rebecca S. Green of Fort Wayne's morning paper, the Journal Gazette, now has this story that begins:

Allen Circuit Judge Thomas Felts, who handles the lion’s share of Allen County’s alcohol-related criminal cases, was arrested in Indianapolis early Friday on drunken driving and public intoxication charges.

When an Indiana Capitol Police officer pulled Felts’ black Lincoln over for failing to use a turn signal on West Market Street, the 53-year-old judge backed into the police car, according to a report from the Indiana State Police.

After Felts failed a field sobriety test, he provided two invalid breath tests and was charged with refusal, according to the report.

Police obtained a search warrant from a Marion County Superior Court judge and took a sample of Felts’ blood at Wishard Memorial Hospital in Indianapolis. The blood sample will be turned over the Indiana University Department of Toxicology for analysis, according to the report.

No information about his blood-alcohol content was available Saturday.

Felts was booked into the Marion County Jail’s Arrestee Processing Center about 4:40 a.m. Friday on misdemeanor charges of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated and public intoxication. He was then released 11 hours later on his own recognizance.

When reached at his Fort Wayne home Saturday, Felts said he regretted the situation.

“I defer to and respect the system that has been set up to resolve these matters,” he said.

Elected to the bench in 2002 after serving as the Circuit Court magistrate since 1989, Felts is again running for the Circuit Court seat. As the county’s sole Circuit Court judge, Felts handles both civil and criminal cases. In Allen County, most of the drunken driving cases and other alcohol-related offenses are handled through Felts’ court.

Background: In late May, the Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications issued a Public Admonition of Judge Donald Currie, Carroll Circuit Court. See the May 27th ILB entry here.

On May 31st, 2007, the Supreme Court has issued a 2-page public reprimand of John F. Hanley, Judge of the Marion Superior Court, who was arrested for DUI on Dec. 4, 2006. See the ILB entry here.

The May 27th entry notes:

There is a distinction between when to issue a Public Admonition and when to proceed to a Public Reprimand. The Judicial Disciplinary Opinions page, where the opinion re Judge Hanley is found, provides: "When the Qualifications Commission files formal charges against a judge, judicial officer, or judicial candidate, only the Supreme Court may resolve the case, either after the Commission and the judge enter into a settlement agreement or after a panel of Masters preside over an evidentiary hearing and report to the Court."
This ILB entry from Dec. 7, 2006 quotes from an Indianapolis Star story that notes: "Since 1986, the Indiana Supreme Court has sanctioned five judges accused of drunken driving" and then lists the judges.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on July 19, 2008 06:03 PM
Posted to Indiana Courts