NORTH VERNON — A North Vernon man who serves as the golf director and manager of St. Anne’s Golf Course in North Vernon has been suspended from his position without pay for two weeks.
The North Vernon City Council took that action, by a 4 to 1 vote, at its meeting Monday about golf director Robin P. Brown. Council member Jack Kelly voted against suspending Brown, saying the issue “is a private matter” relating to an employee and should not be discussed at a public meeting.
The decision follows the filing of formal charges against Brown in Jennings County Circuit Court on Jan. 23 related to his Jan. 6 arrest by North Vernon police.
Brown, 56, has been charged by the Jennings County prosecutor with one felony and two misdemeanors, court documents state. He has been charged with:
Intimidation, a Level 6 felony
Operating a vehicle with an alcohol concentration equivalent to at least .08 but less than .15, a Class C misdemeanor
Operating a vehicle while intoxicated, a Class C misdemeanor
According to a North Vernon Police Department incident report detailing the arrest, filed Jan. 8 by North Vernon Police Officer Kyle Hall, the officer was on patrol at 2:46 a.m. Jan. 6 when Jennings County Sheriff’s Deputy Thomas Mellencamp contacted him and said he had first observed Brown displaying signs of possible intoxication at the North Vernon Taco Bell.
Hall wrote, “Deputy Mellencamp informed me that he had a personal history with the subject and asked if I would perform an investigation on the subject.”
Because Hall was already on duty in his squad car when Mellencamp called, Hall was able to report to the Taco Bell site in time to see Brown leave the restaurant, the report said.
Hall wrote that he could observe Brown but “the male did not show clear and obvious signs of intoxication,” but he decided to follow him to make sure.
Hall followed Brown through downtown North Vernon and observed Brown speeding by six miles an hour over the speed limit and crossing the yellow line. Hall signaled for Brown to pull over but Brown did not comply until he reached a driveway on 10th Street, according to the report.
Brown admitted to drinking three beers at The Garage Pub and Grill in Columbus during the course of his evening before returning to North Vernon, Hall said in the document.
Hall issued Brown a warning for the speeding violation, then conducted a field sobriety test on Brown, during which he showed some signs of impairment, the report states. After that, he conducted a portable breath test for which Brown registered .09, the report states. Indiana’s legal limit is .08.
Brown was read his Miranda rights and asked if he would agree to another breath test. After Brown agreed, he was handcuffed and transported to the North Vernon Police Department. At the police station, Brown was given the additional breath test at 3:29 a.m., which registered .087. Brown was then arrested and escorted to the Jennings County Jail by Police Officer Isaac Barkes, the report states.
Afterward, Barkes reported to Hall that Brown made a threat against Hall during the process of being transferred into jail, saying “he was going to beat me to a pulp if he lost his job,” the report states.
Hall wrote in the report that he was shown footage from Barkes’ body camera that recorded Brown making the statement.
During the Jan. 14 North Vernon City Council meeting, following a closed session, the council voted to suspend Brown from his duties at the golf course for two weeks with pay pending an investigation of the arrest.
No charges were filed in court against Brown until Jan. 23, nearly two weeks after his arrest, court documents said.
Monday’s decision to suspend Brown without pay may not be a final ruling on Brown’s future with St. Anne’s Golf Course. Councilwoman Connie Rayburn suggested any final decision should wait until after the case “works its way through the justice system.”
