JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. (WDRB) -- Former Clark County Sheriff Jamey Noel was back in court Tuesday for a pre-trial hearing on 15 felony charges, but the potential arrest of Noel's wife surprisingly took center stage in the courtroom.

Indiana State Police are investigating charges of corruption and fraud against the former sheriff. Noel has been charged with 15 felonies related to fraud, theft, misconduct and public corruption. In court Tuesday, Special Prosecutor Ric Hertel said the state is now prepared to move forward with criminal charges against "certain defendants, primarily Misty Noel."

"If she's here today and you wish to establish probable cause, I believe the statute provides me the authority to order her arrest," Judge Larry Medlock replied. "I could arrest her myself, according to the statute."

Noel's wife was in court, but Larry Wilder, Jamey Noel's attorney, had a strong reaction to the state's request.

"Judge, if that's the case then what we would ask is that the court take note that if you want to arrest her, she's sitting in chair two, front row," Wilder said. "I find it a tad bit disheartening that this is how the government's approach to today's proceeding was, is to issue a threat to our client's wife in front of television cameras and everyone sitting here about being arrested."

For now, Medlock said there is no probable cause for the arrest.

Tuesday's hearing is the latest update from months of investigations into Noel. The most recent update came last week, when a search warrant made public showed investigators claim Noel fathered a child with a woman who isn't his wife and paid many of his child support payments with funds from the Utica Volunteer Fire Department, which he led. 

Court documents also claim Noel sold the child's mother a 2015 BMW in January 2023 for $21,000, but vehicle records show the fire department owned the car. ISP investigators couldn't find a check for the $21,000 in any of the financial records for Noel, his wife, daughter or any other business entities. 

A search warrant claims the car transaction is another example of “layering” through various accounts and businesses to make it harder to track money or assets.

The former southern Indiana sheriff was arrested in November on 15 felony charges of theft, fraud, ghost employment and corruption. The charges stem from a nearly yearlong investigation by Noel's successor, current Sheriff Scottie Maples, and Indiana State Police.

Clark County Sheriff Scottie Maples said he began uncovering issues and "possible criminal activities" shortly after he took office in December 2022, including the discovery of a wiretap. He also said employees were reporting that they were forced to work on Noel's "personal projects" while on-duty and being paid by the sheriff's office and taxpayer dollars. Maples also said he discovered that Noel allegedly "participated in an attempt to defraud the pension system."

ISP served several search warrants at his home on Old Tay Bridge in Jeffersonville in August. The search was part of the state police agency's investigation, requested by Maples, who served as deputy chief under Noel for several years before being elected sheriff in November 2022. Last month, investigators served additional warrants in the investigation at Noel's home, properties he owned and businesses he ran. 

When serving the additional warrants in the fall of 2023, detectives found 133 vehicles, seizing dozens of them, that were registered through the Utica Fire Department and New Chapel EMS, including a Charger Hellcat, Escalades and a Corvette Stingray.

Four employees told investigators they built a large garage for the vehicles, bought the cars at auction and transported them. One worker shared nearly 6,000 photos, hundreds of videos and years of text messages between himself and Noel about buying and selling cars. He also had photos of a Clark County Sheriff's Office credit card he said Noel gave him to buy parts for the cars.

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