New Albany Councilwoman Diane Benedetti found not guilty of OWI charge

Judge ruled state did not have enough evidence to proceed with trial

By DANIEL SUDDEATHDaniel.Suddeath@newsandtribune.comThe News and TribuneFri Jun 03, 2011, 06:38 PM EDT

 

 

JEFFERSONVILLE — Former Clark County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Roscoe “Shane” Abbott pleaded guilty Monday to class A misdemeanor criminal recklessness.

Clark County Circuit Court Judge Dan Moore accepted a plea agreement which calls for Abbott to serve one year of probation. The agreement also states that he will no longer be allowed to serve as a law enforcement officer or first responder at any jurisdiction in the country.

Abbott, 32, was indicted by a grand jury in December for felony criminal recklessness. The grand jury determined Abbott was traveling “at an unreasonably high rate of speed under the conditions and circumstances” when he crashed into a vehicle July 30, 2010, on Ind. 60 at St. Joe Road East.

Daniel L. Schoenfelder, the driver of the other vehicle, suffered a fractured neck vertebrae, according to court records. Abbott was responding to a 911 hang-up call when Schoenfelder turned onto St. Joe Road and was struck.

The Clark County Sheriff’s Department Merit Commission decided in June to terminate Abbott’s employment. He had been on paid leave since the wreck.

It was revealed at the merit commission hearings that Abbott was driving 106 mph without lights or sirens when the wreck occurred at approximately 5 a.m., according to Bob Bottorff, an attorney representing the sheriff’s department.

Abbott represented himself in court Monday. He had been represented by attorney Bart Betteau until a hearing Sept. 27. Betteau told the court at that hearing that he would withdraw from the case due to a concern he had with part of the plea agreement.

Betteau said at the time that he did not want to proceed with the agreement as written, while his client wanted to proceed so the two agreed it would be best for him to withdraw. Abbott, who has previously declined to comment, could not be reached Wednesday.

 

A former Harrison County Sheriff pleads guilty to a number of felonies, but he won’t serve any jail time. It marks the end to an emotional end to a case that began five years ago.

Mike Deatrick admitted on the stand Monday that he groped and intimidated two former employees. He was sentenced to six years probation, and will be under house arrest for a year and a half. It’s the decision both sides say they were looking for.

“We stayed strong, we kept it together and we stopped him,” said plaintiff Melissa Graham.

Deana Decker and Melissa Graham say their lives were turned upside down after they filed a discrimination claim against Mike Deatrick in 2006. At the time, Deatrick was Harrison County Sheriff, and Decker and Graham worked as dispatchers. They claimed Deatrick had groped them, and say when he later found out about the claim, he drew his gun and threatened them. The sheriff then allegedly erased surveillance footage of that incident.

“For him to betray the trust that he did, shame on him,” plaintiff Deana Decker said.

Decker and Graham say they got what they were looking for Monday when Deatrick’s plea deal was read aloud in court. He pleaded guilty to insurance fraud, obstruction of justice, two charges of criminal intimidation, and two charges of sexual battery. Both sides say the plea was ideal for everyone involved.

“Hearing Mike Deatrick admit he did the things that Melissa Graham and Deana Decker said he did was my most important consideration, and their most important consideration,” said prosecutor Nancy Jacobs.

“This will effectively be behind him, and he’ll be able to effectively go on with the rest of his life,” said Bart Betteau, Deatrick’s attorney.

Decker and Graham say that’s their goal as well. Despite the trauma this case has caused them, they say the ordeal was well worth it.

“If we helped one person stand up to people like him, it was worth it all,” said Graham.

Decker and Graham have already settled a separate civil suit in which they were rewarded a total of $375,000.

Attorney Bart Betteau answers questions from the media after his client, former Harrison County (Ind.) Sheriff G. Michael Deatrick, plead guilty to two felonies and four misdemeanors in a deal that allows him to avoid jail time and serve 1½ years of home incarceration and probation.