Ripley Co. Prosecutor assigned to Clark County sheriff case

Former sheriff accused of misconduct

Photo: Michael Caterina/South Bend Tribune-USA TODAY

(CLARK COUNTY, Ind.) -- Ripley County Prosecutor Ric Hertel is serving as special prosecutor in a corruption case involving a southern Indiana sheriff.

Former Clark County Sheriff Jamey Noel was arrested Wednesday following a investigation that began in December 2022.

Noel is accused of theft, ghost employment, corrupt business influence, official misconduct and obstruction of justice.

He has been charged with 15 felonies and is being held without bond in Scott County.

Investigators say the former sheriff assigned some of his employees to projects while on-duty that were not related to their government job.

Noel also served as chief of the Utica Volunteer Fire Department. He allegedly sold Uttica-owned vehicles five times for personal gain.

This isn't the first time Hertel has been assigned as a special prosecutor.

In 2020, he oversaw an officer-involved shooting in South Bend and found the officer was justified in using deadly force.