Criminal Justice

Accused in Elkhart

Justice in an Indiana County

Indiana’s first man to be pardoned based on innocence was tried in Elkhart County. But that troubling case doesn’t stand alone. In a county known for cranking out RVs, there’s a deeper story about how justice is carried out by police, prosecutors and judges.

Impact of Our Reporting

In 2018, We Reported on an Abusive Cop. He Was Just Sentenced to a Year in Prison.

by Ken Armstrong

October 30, 2023, 5:00 am EDT

Another Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Punching Handcuffed Man

by Ken Armstrong

April 14, 2023, 1:30 pm EDT

Indiana Police Officer Pleads Guilty After Beating Handcuffed Man

by Marek Mazurek, South Bend Tribune

September 7, 2022, 1:50 pm EDT

Two Indiana Police Officers Face Federal Charges in Videotaped Beating of Handcuffed Man

by Christian Sheckler, South Bend Tribune

March 22, 2019, 12:34 pm EDT

Stung by Controversies, Police Chief Resigns in Elkhart, Indiana

by Christian Sheckler, South Bend Tribune, and Ken Armstrong, ProPublica

December 10, 2018, 11:44 pm EST

Elkhart City Council Members Support Investigation of Police Department

by Christian Sheckler, South Bend Tribune

December 3, 2018, 6:05 pm EST

Elkhart, Indiana, Police Chief Suspended for 30 Days Following Release of Beating Video

by Christian Sheckler, South Bend Tribune, and Ken Armstrong, ProPublica

November 27, 2018, 6:19 pm EST

29 stories published since 2018

The Chief Prosecutor in Elkhart, Indiana, Is Accused of Misconduct for Making Contradictory Allegations

by Ken Armstrong

April 12, 2024, 5:00 am EDT
Wrongly Convicted Man Receives $7.5 Million Settlement in Indiana

by Marek Mazurek, South Bend Tribune

May 5, 2022, 12:30 pm EDT
A New Study Prompted by Our Reporting Confirms Elkhart, Indiana, Police Department Lacks Accountability

by Christian Sheckler, South Bend Tribune, and Ken Armstrong, ProPublica

December 12, 2019, 6:50 pm EST
Why Are Cops Around the World Using This Outlandish Mind-Reading Tool?

by Ken Armstrong, ProPublica, and Christian Sheckler, South Bend Tribune

December 7, 2019, 6:00 am EST
Police Footage: The Interrogation That Led to Ricky Joyner’s Murder Charge

by Lucas Waldron

July 19, 2019, 6:00 am EDT
The Questionable Conviction, and Re-Conviction, of Ricky Joyner

by Christian Sheckler, South Bend Tribune, and Ken Armstrong, ProPublica

July 19, 2019, 6:00 am EDT
Detective in Elkhart, Indiana, Wrongful Conviction Case Dies in Apparent Suicide

by

February 6, 2019, 1:39 pm EST
In Elkhart, Indiana, Another Conviction Gets Tossed. The Star Witness Was Hypnotized, a Fact the Prosecutor Concealed.

by Christian Sheckler, South Bend Tribune and Ken Armstrong, ProPublica

February 5, 2019, 4:30 pm EST
Long-Lost Records Surface in Wrongful Conviction Case, Detailing Lead Detective’s Fondling of Informants

by Christian Sheckler, South Bend Tribune, and Ken Armstrong, ProPublica

January 18, 2019, 6:00 pm EST
Elkhart’s Mayor Says He Won’t Run for Re-election, Amid Revelations of Misconduct in the Police Ranks

by Christian Sheckler, South Bend Tribune, and Ken Armstrong, ProPublica

December 18, 2018, 6:34 pm EST
Elkhart’s Acting Police Chief Has Previously Been Demoted, Reprimanded and Suspended

by Ken Armstrong, ProPublica, and Jeff Parrott, South Bend Tribune

December 12, 2018, 3:04 pm EST
An Elkhart Police Officer Was Convicted of Drunken Driving — Then the Chief Promoted Him

by Christian Sheckler, South Bend Tribune, and Ken Armstrong, ProPublica

December 7, 2018, 12:30 pm EST
With Trump’s Justice Department Retreating, Who Will Now Police the Police?

by Christian Sheckler, South Bend Tribune, and Ken Armstrong, ProPublica

December 1, 2018, 2:30 pm EST
“They Should Have Been Fired on the Spot”: In Elkhart, Indiana, the Talk Is All About the Police and a Video

by Christian Sheckler, South Bend Tribune, and Ken Armstrong, ProPublica

November 21, 2018, 5:43 pm EST
Indiana State Police Turn Down Elkhart Mayor’s Request for Broad Review of City’s Police Department

by Christian Sheckler, South Bend Tribune, and Ken Armstrong, ProPublica

November 19, 2018, 6:30 pm EST
Who Runs This Police Department? Lots of Officers Who’ve Been Reprimanded or Even Suspended.

by Ken Armstrong, ProPublica, and Christian Sheckler, South Bend Tribune

November 15, 2018, 8:15 pm EST
Nearly All the Officers in Charge of an Indiana Police Department Have Been Disciplined — Including the Chief Who Keeps Promoting Them

by Ken Armstrong, ProPublica, and Christian Sheckler, South Bend Tribune

November 15, 2018, 8:15 pm EST
How a Police Beating in Elkhart, Indiana Unfolded

by Lucas Waldron

November 5, 2018, 10:15 pm EST
Indiana Police Officer Before Punching Handcuffed Man: “If You Spit Again, We’re Gonna Party”

by Christian Sheckler, South Bend Tribune, and Ken Armstrong, ProPublica

November 5, 2018, 10:15 pm EST
Two Indiana Police Officers to be Charged After Video Shows Them Beating Handcuffed Man

by Christian Sheckler, South Bend Tribune, and Ken Armstrong, ProPublica

November 2, 2018, 10:00 pm EDT
When Public Records Aren’t Public

by Christian Sheckler, South Bend Tribune, and Ken Armstrong, ProPublica

August 3, 2018, 5:00 am EDT
Standing by Their Convictions

by Christian Sheckler, South Bend Tribune, and Ken Armstrong, ProPublica

July 27, 2018, 6:00 am EDT