Judge known for humor, service retiring

COLUMBUS, Ind. — When a former colleague on the bench learned that a serious tribute to retiring Bartholomew Circuit Judge Stephen Heimann was being planned, it struck him as a bit odd.

“Anyone who has ever met Steve knows it ought to be a roast,” said Chris Monroe, who stepped down as Superior Court 1 judge at the end of 2012 after 23 years on the bench, now an attorney in private practice.

Like others with involvement in Columbus’ judicial system, Monroe has long known there are two distinct sides to Heimann, a Democrat who will retire Dec. 31 after 25 years — serving longer than any judge from any court in Bartholomew County history.

Please read Friday’s edition of The Republic for more details.