{"id":6118,"date":"2019-06-04T23:38:40","date_gmt":"2019-06-04T23:38:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brownsburgsentinel.com\/site\/?p=6118"},"modified":"2019-06-05T15:37:56","modified_gmt":"2019-06-05T15:37:56","slug":"hendricks-county-judge-robert-freese-suspended-by-indiana-supreme-court-for-misconduct","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brownsburgsentinel.com\/site\/2019\/06\/04\/hendricks-county-judge-robert-freese-suspended-by-indiana-supreme-court-for-misconduct\/","title":{"rendered":"Hendricks County Judge Robert Freese Suspended by Indiana Supreme Court for Misconduct"},"content":{"rendered":"
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June 4th, 2019<\/strong>
\nArticle Updated at 11:00am \u2013 2019\/06\/05<\/p>\n

Hendricks County Superior Court Judge Robert W. Freese was suspended by the Indiana Supreme court for 45 days without pay beginning July 8th through August 22.  Freese’s suspension stems from his appointment of an unqualified friend as a trustee of a trust, failing to disclose the friendship or a financial relationship with the friend, and failing to act promptly when faced with mounting evidence of the friend’s mismanagement and embezzlement of the funds entrusted to him. It was ultimately determined Judge Freese appointed friend Steven Scott embezzled $250,000 from the estate. In the words of the Indiana Supreme Court “But the Judge’s misconduct ultimately enabled a massive theft”. “If not for the Judge’s inaction, (Steven)<\/em> Scott’s theft likely could have been largely prevented.”<\/p>\n

Steven Scott plead guilty to federal charges of wire fraud, bank fraud and tax evasion following an investigation by the Indiana State Police and the IRS.  Steven Scott was sentenced to serve 30 months in prison<\/a><\/span> on May 2017 by Indiana Southern District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt.  The stolen funds remain unrecovered.<\/p>\n

Judge Freese admitted that he violated four provisions of the Code of Judicial Conduct:<\/p>\n