Johnson County Coroner Mike Pruitt speaks during a press conference for the identification of Baby Hope on July 14 at Greenlawn Cemetery in Franklin.
Daily Journal File Photo
By Noah Crenshaw | Daily Journal
ncrenshaw@dailyjournal.net
JOHNSON COUNTY — Johnson County’s elected coroner is accused of buying alcohol for a 17-year-old and offering her cannabis gummies, leading to the filing of a protective order against him and a state investigation.
Mike Pruitt, the county’s elected coroner since 2020 and the former deputy chief of the Bargersville Community Fire Department, is the subject of a protective order filed in Johnson Superior Court 2 on Aug. 20. The order was filed by the mother of a 17-year-old girl who accuses Pruitt of having “inappropriate” contact with her and harassment, court documents show.
A special judge is handling the case. Special Judge David Riggins, of Shelby County, granted the protective order on Aug. 20, ordering Pruitt to have no contact with and stay away from the girl and her mother. The order is in effect for two years, until Aug. 20, 2027.
The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office received a sworn statement connected to this matter on Sept. 2, where officials “immediately recognized a conflict of interest.” To “ensure transparency and maintain public confidence,” the case was referred to the Indiana State Police for investigation, Johnson County Sheriff Duane Burgess said in a statement.
“Our office will take no further role in this matter,” Burgess said.
Sgt. John Perrine, an ISP Indianapolis District spokesperson, told the Daily Journal he was not able to confirm or identify the target of an investigation or a suspect of a crime until, or unless, charges are filed or an arrest is made. This is per ISP policy, he said.
No criminal charges have been filed in connection with the messages.
In a statement, Pruitt’s attorney, Russell Johnson of Franklin-based Johnson Gray & Johnson, said it would be inappropriate to comment as the investigation is ongoing.
In a statement shared with FOX 59, an unnamed attorney for the teen’s family said their primary concern is for the safety and well-being of the victim, asked for the media and the public to respect the teen’s privacy and said it was “vital to allow the judicial process to unfold without undue interference or speculation.”
The protective order details 30 incidents of contact between Pruitt, the girl and her mother over the last year or so. The incidents include in-person contact, text messages, emails and phone calls; the messages cover a range of topics and many do not involve providing substances.
The protective order also includes comments that suggest Pruitt was having a mental health crisis, which likely contributed to this situation.
In one incident from March, the girl’s mother wrote that Pruitt had allegedly bought eight cans of alcohol for the 17-year-old and her friend, who was also a minor. He reportedly recorded a phone conversation with the 17-year-old while she was intoxicated from the alcohol he purchased, later sending the recording to her, according to court documents.
On June 23, Pruitt took the 17-year-old and another minor to a swine show in Springfield, Illinois. The order includes a message where he asked what kind of beer she would like, court documents say.
Later that day, Pruitt allegedly sent another text to her telling her where to find the beer she had requested. He later reportedly videotaped the 17-year-old and the other minor when they were intoxicated.
There are two other messages related to alcohol that were sent in July, during the Johnson County Fair, court documents show.
The protective order also alleges that Pruitt offered cannabis gummies to the 17-year-old on June 16. She declined, saying she had “greened out” — had a bad experience — with them before. In response, he reportedly sent “tips on how to avoid greening out when consuming cannabis gummies,” followed by another text: “You gotta get back on the horse sometime.”
Pruitt had also reportedly been sending the 16-year-old $50 per week through Venmo since September 2024. The teen’s mother discovered this and told him to stop, and he said he would. But the payments continued, court documents show.
The 17-year-old repeatedly told Pruitt she felt “smothered” and wanted space. The protection order alleges Pruitt used the Life 360 app to track the teen’s location and would show up at places where he knew she would be.
The teen’s mother eventually confronted Pruitt in July, telling him there could be no further contact with her daughter. In a phone conversation on July 20, he reportedly admitted that he purchased alcohol for the teen, according to court documents.
Despite being told to stay away by the 17-year-old’s mother, Pruitt allegedly continued attempting to contact her. The mother wrote an email to Pruitt on Aug. 11, stating, among other things that their had been “repeated incidents and behaviors that are completely inappropriate for a 60-year-old man toward a 17-year-old girl.” Pruitt reportedly replied that he fully understood the woman’s request to not have any more contact with the 17-year-old, according to court documents.
However, Pruitt allegedly called the 17-year-old using a different phone number on Aug. 16. The order was then filed a few days later, court documents show.
Daily Journal editor Leeann Doerflein contributed to this report.
