Indiana State Police Sgt. Matthew Simmons of Columbus, a trooper assigned to work in Bartholomew County for more than a decade, has been fired for conduct unbecoming an employee, according to state police documents.
Bartholomew County Prosecutor Bill Nash received a letter dated Sept. 18 from the Indiana State Police internal investigations section notifying prosecuting attorneys across the state that allegations against Simmons included concerns about the trooper’s truthfulness and veracity.
The termination document involving Simmons alleges the trooper had an inappropriate relationship in February 2017 with a 14-year-old girl, who had reportedly been previously molested. Simmons partially admitted to that accusation and was fired Sept. 4, the state police said.
When reached by phone on Thursday, Simmons said he had no comment.
State police investigators said Simmons lied repeatedly during the internal affairs investigation conducted in 2016, which Simmons denied.
According to the document explaining Simmons’ firing, he had been asked to distance himself from the investigation into the child molesting allegation, but from November through December 2016 continued to meet with and discuss the details of the child molesting with the victim. During the investigation, Simmons denied this allegation, according to the document.
Simmons was also accused of conveying false information to a fellow officer when his conduct was the subject of a complaint to Indiana State Police, according to the disciplinary action filing. Simmons was accused of telling another officer that the deputy prosecutor only directed him to refrain from discussing counseling with the 14-year-old victim, when he had told another officer in an inquiry interview that the deputy prosecutor had cautioned him about having further involvement in the investigation, according to the document. Simmons denied this allegation, the document states.
In another accusation of conveying false information Simmons was accused of telling a fellow officer that in 2017, he was mowing and put his cell phone in the pocket of his shorts, and that the phone made contact and pressed the pin code in to do a factory reset, when in fact the cell phone did not reset itself, the document states. Simmons denies this allegation, according to the document.
He was also accused of conveying false information on April 13 when, during an internal investigation interview, he told an officer that he did not touch the female juvenile’s face with his thumbs after discussing with her that thumbs reminded her of a penis, when officers said Simmons did commit this act, the document states. Simmons also denies this allegation, according to the document.
Simmons was assigned to work out of the Indiana State Police Versailles district, which includes Bartholomew, Decatur and Jackson counties, among others.
A U.S. Supreme Court ruling has held that a prosecutor, through discovery, must release information that is favorable to an accused where the evidence is material either to guilt or to punishment, the letter states. The ruling states that the reliability of any given witness determines guilt or innocence, and issues about a witness’ reliability must also be turned over in discovery to the defense.
Prosecutor’s office staff members in Columbus are checking their court cases for those that have Simmons as a witness or investigator.
Simmons was known as the go-to officer in Bartholomew County when a criminal case required analysis of cell phone data, Nash said.
Nash said allegations that he declined to bring charges against Simmons for any criminal conduct are false, as no evidence or case to his knowledge has been brought to his office about the trooper.
The prosecutor said his office is not involved in prosecuting the child molesting case involving the 14-year-old.
Simmons, a Columbus native and a 2001 Columbus North High School graduate, was promoted by the state police to the rank of sergeant in July 2015, to serve as a cybercrimes forensic examiner. He graduated from the Indiana State Police Recruit Academy in July 2007.
Simmons was initially assigned to the Seymour District from 2007 to 2010. With closing of the Seymour post, Simmons was transferred to the Versailles District where he patrolled from 2010 to 2014. From 2014 to 2015, Simmons was assigned to the Indiana Crimes Against Children Taskforce. Simmons is certified as a field training officer and as a crash reconstructionist. Simmons was also a member of the Indiana State Police Honor Guard.
In his duties in cybercrimes, Simmons assisted federal, state, and local law enforcement by conducting forensic examinations of computers, cell phones and other digital media for evidence of criminal activity in the Versailles and Sellersburg state police districts.
Columbus police spokesman Lt. Matt Harris said Simmons has assisted the Columbus Police Department in investigations in the past.
Harris said the Columbus police do have detectives capable of handling forensic searches of electronics that Simmons specialized in.
Simmons had an office in the detective division at the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department where he worked about twice a week, Sheriff Matt Myers said. The sheriff said he would be working with the state police to make sure any pending local cases involving Simmons were finished.
