Charges filed about a self-confessed white supremacist accused of severely injuring another Bartholomew County jail inmate in an altercation have been dropped for now as the victim is refusing to cooperate with investigators.
During a change of plea hearing Monday, Bartholomew County prosecutors agreed to dismiss charges of Level 6 felony battery resulting in serious bodily injury and criminal gang activity against Jarred A. Parton, 27, who is already serving a sentence in the Indiana Department of Corrections on another local case.
Bartholomew County Prosecutor Bill Nash said the jail inmate who suffered injuries severe enough to need surgery elected not to cooperate with investigators. Although prosecutors had sufficient evidence to charge Parton, “we weren’t able to go forward with the prosecution without the victim’s cooperation,” Nash said.
Since the case was filed, the victim has been sentenced to a federal prison facility, further complicating the investigation, Nash said.
The charges were dropped without prejudice, which means that if circumstances change, and it is within the statute of limitations, the charges against Parton could be refiled, Nash said.
For more on this story, see Friday’s Republic.
