LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- An Indiana lawmaker hopes to pass an amendment to a law in an effort for taxpayers and stakeholders to understand how every penny is spent. It's in response to the investigation into former Clark County Sheriff Jamey Noel.

Rep. Ed Clere, R-New Albany, proposed an amendment to House Bill 1328. Clere's amendment would require local agencies to upload all contracts related to fire or EMS to Indiana's public finance database, Gateway. Current statute requires contracts above $50,000 to be uploaded to Gateway.

"This amendment is an attempt to make it harder, if not impossible, in the future," Clere said. "The public and the media have the ability to shine a light into into local government or government at any level, it's a good thing, it brings about a higher level of accountability and makes it less likely that these sorts of things will happen."

Clere said this push for change is a direct response to Noel's investigation.

"I don't know that it would have caught everything, but I think it may have caught enough that it would have been stopped much sooner," he said.

Noel faces more than a dozen felonies related to fraud, theft, misconduct and public corruption. In addition to serving as Clark County Sheriff, Noel also led the Utica Volunteer Fire Department and New Chapel EMS.

Most recently, Indiana State Police executed six search warrants at New Chapel Fire and EMS departments on Friday.

Noel has been charged with 15 felonies related to fraud, theft, misconduct and public corruption. The investigation accuses Noel of misusing thousands of dollars.

Earlier this week, investigators said a credit card summary from American Express shows Noel charged more than $730,000 on the Utica Volunteer Fire Department's business credit card. According to police, the charges were made at places like department stores, jewelry stores and cigar shops.

Documents also show 83 payments totaling more than $4.1 million were made to three credit card accounts in Noel's name. Investigators did not make it clear how many of those payments were made by the fire department, but said the charges do not appear related to services provided by department or normal business expenses.

Noel is also accused of using fire department funds to pay for child support, according to court documents.

Documents unsealed in  Nov. 2023, also revealed more information about evidence.

Those court records detail in 600 pages investigators found over the course of several months.

Several employees who worked for Noel at the sheriff's department were interviewed as part of the investigation. They described doing maintenance work at Noel's various properties, including his home and his father-in-law's home, while they were on the clock at the sheriff's office or the Clark County Jail and being paid by taxpayers.

The employees also said they poured concrete at a large pole barn Noel built where cars were later stored. One employee said Noel asked him to work extra hours, including on weekends. He expected Noel to pay him directly, but instead his checks came from the Utica Fire Department.

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

More coverage of the Jamey Noel investigation: 

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