COLUMBUS, Ind. — An out-of-town judge and prosecutor will be brought in for the case of a Columbus police officer accused of felony battery and official misconduct.
Superior Court 1 Judge James Worton and Bartholomew County Prosecutor Bill Nash have recused themselves from the case involving 14-year veteran officer John Velten.
Worton was Velten’s supervisor when the judge served as Columbus police chief from January 2008 to January 2012, while Nash works frequently with local officers, including Velten, to prepare cases.
As a result, Decatur Circuit Judge Timothy Day has agreed to oversee the case as a special judge, while Dave Thomas of Vigo County steps in as special prosecutor.
In Greensburg, Day worked as a deputy prosecutor for two years before he was elected judge in 2012. Thomas served three terms as Clay County prosecutor and three terms as the state’s inspector general under former Indiana governors Mitch Daniels and Mike Pence.
Court documents state Velten is accused of striking a handcuffed suspect sitting in the back of his patrol car with his fist, according to a probable cause affidavit. The suspect, John Robert Keith DeMerit, 40, of 1951 McKinley Ave., suffered moderate injuries, according to a report from the Indiana State Police, who investigated the matter.
For more on this story, see Monday’s Republic.
