Jackson
Former Columbus Township Trustee Ben Jackson will face up to 64.5 years in prison after entering into an open plea Monday.
Jackson, who resigned about a year ago amid an investigation into his use of the township’s credit card, waived his right to a trial during a pretrial conference in Bartholomew Superior Court 1 and entered into a change of plea of guilty on all 17 felony counts and one misdemeanor filed in July related to his theft and misuse of public funds.
Jackson, a Republican, pleaded guilty to charges that he stole and misused public funds to cover more than $1.12 million in personal expenses he paid for with the township’s credit card over an eight-year period.
Those included lavish trips across the United States and overseas, college tuition for his children, retail purchases, home improvement projects, among several other things, according to a report by the State Board of Accounts (SBOA).
Decatur Superior Court Judge Matthew Bailey, serving as special judge, scheduled sentencing for Jan. 21 at 9:30 a.m.
An open plea means that sentencing and details about restitution will be entirely up to the judge, although the defense and prosecution will make arguments for what they believe is justified in January.
Greg Long, Jackson’s defense attorney, said sentencing guidelines are a minimum of one year in jail if the sentence is served concurrently, and up to 64-and-a-half-years if the judge decides the sentence is to be served consecutively.
Jackson pleaded guilty to nine felony counts of official misconduct, eight felony counts of theft and one misdemeanor count of theft. The official misconduct charges are all Level 6 felonies, while the theft charges include six Level 5 felonies, two Level 6 felonies and one misdemeanor.
Jackson, 57, who had been released from jail in July in lieu of $50,000 bond, wore a black suit and had three supporters with him. He repeatedly answered with a simple “yes,” as Bartholomew County Prosecutor Lindsey Holden-Kay established the factual basis of all 18 charges.
“I’m pleased the defendant took responsibility for his actions and pled guilty to all charges today,” Holden-Kay said in a statement, noting her comments would be limited because the case is still pending. “I am also thankful we were able to reach a resolution that saves local taxpayers the added cost of a lengthy trial.”
Between now and Jan. 21, as with all cases, Holden-Kay said her office will begin preparing arguments for sentencing and keep up regular communication with victims, which in this case is a societal victim.
Jackson used the township credit card to pay for $657,831 in personal trips across 10 countries, $150,078 in retail purchases, $90,915 in tuition and school expenses for his children, $39,913 for personal utilities, among other things from 2016 to 2024, according to the SBOA report.
The SBOA report also found that Ben Jackson used the township credit card for $18,990 in home improvement projects on his former home on Laurel Drive — including $8,198 for backyard deck and landscaping from April to June 2020.
Jackson also used the township credit card for $4,163 for carpeting, $2,595 for plumbing, $1,353 for landscaping, $1,261 for electric work and $999 for flooring, according to the report.
The SBOA investigation found that 9% of Jackson’s credit card use over the eight-year period — $121,093 — was for legitimate township business. The SBOA opened an investigation into Jackson’s spending in October 2024 after receiving an anonymous complaint alleging that he had repeatedly purchased first-class airline tickets for himself, his wife and others using the card.
In September, a special judge approved a divorce settlement between Jackson and his then-wife Amy Jackson in which he agreed to assume full liability for any potential restitution, attorney fees and debt stemming from criminal charges filed against him.
Under another provision in the agreement, Ben Jackson agreed to be responsible for federal tax liabilities on any jointly filed tax returns during the marriage. The provision states that Ben Jackson will bear full responsibility for any deficiencies, penalties or interest assessments that many arise due to “malfeasance, misfeasance or nonfeasance” connected to his public office.
About township government
Ben Jackson held the role of Columbus Township trustee for 11 years. He was selected in a party caucus in 2013 to replace Fred Barkes as trustee and won his first four-year term in the 2014 election.
Townships are small units of local government that operate below the county level, each comprised of a trustee — who serves as the executive — and an advisory board — which functions as the legislative body. The trustee and advisory board are elected by township residents.
Indiana’s township system traces its roots back to the 1850s, when state’s population was largely rural. Early on, townships provided essential services including poor relief, fire protection, road maintenance, library operations, school administration and even burial of Civil War veterans. But now, poor relief and fire protection are the main functions of township government.
Experts previously told The Republic that Indiana’s township governments may be particularly vulnerable to mismanagement, misuse of funds and corruption largely because they face little state oversight and often escape public scrutiny.
Since 2013, at least five other former township trustees in Bartholomew County have come under investigation for alleged misuse of funds — including at least three who were charged with felonies — according to state and federal records.
Columbus Township operates with a three-member advisory board. Those who sat on it didn’t catch on to what Jackson was doing, they said, because he was effectively either hiding the information or presenting inaccurate information for the board to review.
Reports filed with the state government show that Columbus Township denied one in three requests for township assistance in 2024 — the highest denial rate among townships in Bartholomew County that received more than 10 requests and nearly triple the next highest rate.
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that Columbus Township has the third highest poverty rate among the 12 townships in the county, suggesting the potential for an elevated need for assistance.
