"Case dismissed, questions remain"

If the powers that be at the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department thought that the insupportable inaction of one of its detectives would slip under the radar, they were sorely mistaken. The Indianapolis Star has had an item on the strange case of the IMPD officer accused of promoting prostitution for three days this week. Today, it's an editorial:

"A year ago, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officer Jeremy Lee and his wife were arrested on charges that they had operated a prostitution ring out of their Johnson County home. Lee, a new probationary patrolman, was promptly fired. But now the case against Lee and his wife has been thrown out of court because the IMPD detective in charge of the case, Jean Deddish, repeatedly failed to produce confidential informants who were the key to the accusations.... It's critical for IMPD to be beyond reproach when handling criminal accusations involving one of its current or former employees. It didn't meet that standard in this case."

Now, asks this Indianapolis Observer, where's the public outrage?

Marion County Snubs Johnson County, Continued

Details only get murkier today as The Indianapolis Star's Jason Thomas takes up the tale of the Johnson County diss (you can read it here (at least until the story expires). "At issue is IMPD Detective Jean Deddish's handling of subpoenas from a Johnson County court to produce confidential informants," writes Thomas. "IMPD officials said Wednesday that they are investigating why Deddish failed to produce the informants after being subpoenaed three times."

This Indianapolis Observer wonders how Deddish avoided -- evidently without any consequences -- not one, but three subpoenas!

Marion County Snubs Johnson County

This Indianapolis Observer is quite intrigued by an article in today's Indianapolis Star. Vic Ryckaert writes that because an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department detective "lost interest" in prosecuting a couple accused of running a prostitution ring, Johnson County's prosecutor had to drop the charges.

According to Ryckaert, "court documents show that [the detective] had received subpoenas for the witnesses, but she would not deliver them because she did not work on weekends".

Say, what? Something doesn't "smell right" about this.....

'Everything Must Go' at Indianapolis Airport Auction

Tens of thousands of items from the old Indianapolis International Airport hit the auction block today, reports Inside INdiana Business. Officials say everything from tables and chairs to ticket counters and x-ray machines must go. Unique pieces including a massive iron Statue of Liberty and a 35-piece series of framed posters illustrating Princess Diana will go to the highest bidder. The Indianapolis Airport Authority says its goal is to raise more than $500,000 to offset revenue shortfalls.

Penrod Society Sues to Recover $380,000

The Penrod Society has filed a lawsuit against former treasurer Brandon Benker, seeking to recover more than $380,000 it alleges he embezzled last year, reports Kathleen McLaughlin in the Indianapolis Business Journal.

"The society is a group of professional men who organize the annual Penrod Arts Fair, a fund-raiser that draws about 25,000 people to the grounds of the Indianapolis Museum of Art each September," she writes. "The lawsuit, filed late last week, alleges that Benker 'embezzled and converted for his own use' $381,742 from the not-for-profit group between Feb. 29 and Nov. 12, 2008."

Major Taylor to be Honored

Hoosier Craftsmanship: Works from Indiana Artisans

Some of Indiana's finest artisans will be showcased from 5-7 p.m. Friday (7 August) at the Indiana Humanities Council, 1500 North Delaware Street, Indianapolis. Stop by and check out the specialty cookies, wines, candy, jewelry, textiles; paintings, photographs, and more. The work comes from the artists and value-added food producers who juried into Indiana Artisan, a program that supports and promotes Hoosier artisans and handmade products. (That's Tom Wintczak's pottery, pictured.)