Former Clark County Sheriff Jamey Noel posts $75,000 bond a day after being charged with 15 felonies

JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. (WDRB) -- Former Clark County Sheriff Jamey Noel walked out of court Thursday in Jeffersonville, posting a $75,000 bond after being charged with 15 felonies including obstruction of justice, theft and official misconduct.

Noel was charged with a slew of crimes stemming from a nearly year-long investigation by his successor in Clark County, Sheriff Scottie Maples, and Indiana State Police.

His arrest came nearly three months after ISP served several search warrants at his home on Old Tay Bridge in Jeffersonville back in August. The search was part of an ISP investigation requested by Clark County Sheriff Scottie Maples, who served as deputy chief under Noel for several years before being elected sheriff in November 2022.

Ultimately, Noel is facing 15 felony charges:

One count of corrupt business influence
One count of obstruction of justice
Five counts of theft
Four counts of ghost employment
Four counts of official misconduct

In Thursday's hearing, the state argued Noel should be held without bond until his initial hearing on Jan. 8 because of a risk of non-appearance. Special Prosecutor Rick Hertel, who serves as Ripley County prosecutor, said Noel owns a plane as well as a home in Florida.

Hertel also argued Noel ran from ISP troopers Wednesday before turning himself in.

Noel's attorney, Larry Wilder, argued he should be released Thursday since he has no prior felonies

The judge ultimately set the bond at $75,000 cash with three stipulations:

Noel doesn't leave Indiana
He surrenders his passport by noon Friday
He surrenders all firearms to ISP except for one shotgun of his choice "for personal protection"

Hertel said after the hearing that a trial date has been set for May.

News broke of Noel's arrest Wednesday afternoon, when Maples sent a written statement that he and his team "discovered many unnerving and possible criminal activities by Jamey Noel" in the early months of his term and reported them to state police, which began an investigation.

Jamey Noel mugshot. (Source: Clark County Sheriff's Office)

Noel is also the chief and CEO of New Chapel Fire and EMS, which provides services across Clark and Floyd counties. The same time ISP searched Noel's home earlier this year, state police troopers also served search warrants at the station on Utica Pike in Utica, Indiana, the station on Charlestown Road in northern Floyd County, Indiana, and the station on Utica Sellersburg Road in Jeffersonville. He also serves as chair of the Clark County Republican Party.

Maples said he began uncovering the issues shortly after he took office in December 2022 when he discovered a "secret recording device (wiretap)" in the office of the former assistant chief that had been "planted" during Noel's term and "led directly" to Noel's former office. That's when Maples ordered an office-wide review that revealed "more disturbing information," he said.

Secondly, according to the probable cause affidavit, Noel ordered several sheriff's office employees — Troy Bowling, Donald Jones, Rodney Whobrey and Brent Fisher — to "work on his rental property, private business buildings (New Chapel EMS and Utica Township Volunteer Fire Fighters Association), pole barn, cars, and private residence" while being paid to work at the sheriff's office.

Shortly after taking office, Maples said an officer "abruptly resigned and requested a retirement benefit." But because the officer did not qualify for the pension, command staff began looking into his request and found "documents that appeared to have been falsified, forged, and destroyed to fraudulently make it appear that this person was owed a pension, in which they were not," Maples said. "That former employee was also a family member of Jamey Noel."

Maples said following the discovery of the wiretap, employees self-reported that they had been forced to work on Noel's "personal projects" while on-duty. He also said he discovered that Noel allegedly "participated in an attempt to defraud the pension system."

"I was disturbed and very disappointed in Jamey Noel's conduct and the steps he took to conceal information from his staff and me during his tenure as sheriff, but I knew something had to be done," Maples said Wednesday. "I assure you that my command staff and myself are committed to doing what is best for the citizens of Clark County. No man is above the law, not even the sheriff."

Related Stories: