11:30 P.M. UPDATE
Indiana State Police reported late Tuesday night that former Columbus Township Trustee Ben Jackson was arrested and booked into the Bartholomew County Jail. His bond was set at $50,000, according to court records.
An initial hearing is pending in Bartholomew Circuit Court.
Bartholomew County Prosecutor Lindsey Holden-Kay filed 17 felony charges and a misdemeanor charge against Jackson on Tuesday, accusing him of stealing and misusing public funds to cover more than $1.12 million in personal expenses with the township’s credit card.
ORIGINAL STORY
Bartholomew County prosecutors filed 17 felony charges and a misdemeanor charge Tuesday against former Columbus Township Trustee Benjamin Jackson, accusing him of stealing and misusing public funds to cover more than $1.12 million in personal expenses with the township’s credit card.
Jackson, who resigned in November amid an investigation into his use of the township’s credit card, is facing nine felony counts of official misconduct, eight felony counts of theft and one misdemeanor count of theft, according to court records. 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.
The charges were filed in Bartholomew Superior Court 1. Bartholomew Superior Court 1 Judge James D. Worton has recused himself, and Decatur Superior Court Judge Matthew Bailey has been appointed special judge in the case, according to court records.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Jackson had not been booked into the Bartholomew County Jail and was not in the custody of the Indiana State Police, who investigated the case. An initial hearing had not yet been scheduled.
“The filing of a criminal charge is simply an allegation and is not evidence of guilt,” Bartholomew County Prosecutor Lindsey Holden-Kay said in a statement Tuesday. “All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt at trial. The Indiana Rules of Professional Conduct prohibit the prosecutor from further commenting on this matter. At this time, there will be no further comment.”
The charges come roughly two months after state auditors released a special investigation report, alleging that Jackson racked up $1.12 million in personal expenses on a township credit card over an eight-year period.
The personal expenses allegedly included lavish trips across the United States and overseas, college tuition for his children, retail purchases, home improvement projects, among several other things.
Jackson allegedly 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.
As part of the criminal investigation, the Bartholomew County Prosecutor’s Office coordinated interviews, obtained search warrants and reviewed documents, officials said previously.
A probable cause affidavit filed in Bartholomew Circuit Court on Tuesday is largely based off the SBOA’s report.
However, the affidavit further alleges that Jackson was interviewed by Indiana State Police during the investigation and “admitted to knowingly and intentionally depriving the township of funds for personal expenses.”
“Benjamin Jackson advised that when the credit card bill came to the office, he would write the check for it to keep the office staff from knowing what was on the credit card,” according to the probable cause affidavit. “Benjamin Jackson advised that he entered the personal expenses with inaccurate budget codes to cover up what he was spending for personal expenses. …Benjamin Jackson said during the interview that he knew what he was doing was illegal and did not have any idea how much money he had taken.”
