Jackson
A special judge has scheduled a provisional hearing and issued a temporary financial restraining order in a divorce case involving former Columbus Township Trustee Ben Jackson, who has been accused of racking up $1.12 million in personal expenses on a township credit card.
On Wednesday, Brown Circuit Magistrate Judge Jennifer Wilson Reagan scheduled a preliminary hearing for July 22, according to court records. Wilson Reagan was appointed to preside over the case after Bartholomew Circuit Court Judge Kelly Benjamin recused herself, citing a conflict of interest.
Wilson Reagan also temporarily barred either party from transferring, concealing or disposing of property; changing the beneficiaries on any life insurance policies, employment benefits, IRA or 401K accounts they currently have; removing any personal property from the marital residence; or incurring debt that they would be jointly liable for.
Amy Jackson filed for divorce from Ben Jackson on May 27, citing “an irretrievable breakdown of the marriage” just six days after the Indiana State Board of Accounts published findings from its investigation into the former trustee’s usage of the township credit card.
In her petition for divorce, Amy Jackson asked for a provisional hearing to “determine, among other things, payment of bills and possession of the marital residence.” The petition also states that the couple was “physically separated” at the time of filing.
The SBOA investigation found that Ben Jackson had accumulated $1.12 million in personal expenses on the township credit card over an eight-year period, including $657,831 on vacations for himself, his wife and their adult children, as well as $150,078 in retail purchases and $90,915 in college tuition for their children, among other charges.
Ben Jackson allegedly used the township credit card for $22,036 in airfare for Amy Jackson, according to the report. The SBOA has also asked Ben Jackson to repay the township just over $1 million for unauthorized personal use of the township credit card.
Ben Jackson resigned in November amid the investigation after over a decade serving as Columbus Township trustee.
The hearing comes as federal and county authorities weigh whether to pursue state or federal charges against Ben Jackson.
Bartholomew County Prosecutor Lindsey Holden-Kay said previously a criminal investigation Ben Jackson had concluded, though authorities had yet to decide whether to pursue state or federal charges.
Currently, it is not known when to expect a decision on whether Jackson could face federal or state charges, though Holden-Kay said she hopes a decision will be coming soon.
Last week, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana told The Republic that she could “neither confirm nor deny the existence of an investigation” into Ben Jackson.
State records show that Columbus Township reported spending more than $900,000 from its township assistance fund to make credit card payments from 2016 to 2024, roughly the same period as the SBOA investigation. Township assistance, sometimes referred to as poor relief, is a program that provides emergency financial assistance to residents who are facing financial difficulties.
The figures, which are not audited before being made available to the public, come from the annual financial reports that Columbus Township reported to the Indiana state government from 2016 to 2024, a period that largely aligns with the Indiana State Board of Account’s investigation into Jackson’s credit card use.
The expenses were labelled as “cardmember service” or Elan Financial Services, which is a credit card servicer, and coincide with totals and other findings included in the SBOA’s special investigation report into the matter.
Current Columbus Township Trustee Kris Weisner said nobody was denied township assistance due to Jackson’s alleged misuse of funds.
“No one was denied assistance due to misuse of funds from inside the office,” Weisner said. “…No services or monies were withheld from the public that needed those funds.”
The investigation into Columbus Township’s credit card usage was launched in November after the SBOA received information from an anonymous source alleging that then-Trustee Jackson had repeatedly purchased first-class airline tickets for himself, his wife and others, according to the report.
