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Thursday, March 12, 2009

Ind. Courts - "State Supreme Court rebukes Felts for DWI: Reprimand ends punishment for Circuit judge"

Rebecca S. Green's report this morning in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette begins:

The Indiana Supreme Court issued a public reprimand of Allen Circuit Court Judge Thomas J. Felts in connection with a July drunken-driving arrest.

The reprimand, issued Wednesday, closes the disciplinary action against Felts, who remains on probation in connection with his Indianapolis arrest.

Felts inadvertently backed into a marked Indiana Capitol Police cruiser after he was pulled over in downtown Indianapolis for driving his Lincoln at high speed and failing to signal a turn. The Capitol Police are a division of the Indiana State Police.

The judge failed a field sobriety test, and a portable Breathalyzer measured his blood-alcohol level at 0.14 percent. A subsequent blood test found his blood-alcohol level to be 0.19 percent, more than twice the legal limit. He was arrested on charges of public intoxication and operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated.

As the Allen Circuit Court judge, Felts handles most of the alcohol-related cases in Allen County. He has handled other cases since his arrest.

In January, the Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications filed charges against Felts before the Indiana Supreme Court, accusing the judge of judicial misconduct by failing to uphold the standards of the judiciary and maintaining high standards of conduct.

See the ILB entry from yesterday, including the link to the Supreme Court order, here.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on March 12, 2009 07:52 AM
Posted to Ind. Sup.Ct. Decisions