Northwest Indiana Discussion

http://wishtv.com/2014/10/07/police-recommend-charges-against-elwood-mayor/



ELWOOD, Ind. (AP) — State police investigators have recommended that a county prosecutor file criminal charges against a central Indiana mayor over the spending of campaign money for personal expenses.

Madison County Prosecutor Rodney Cummings said he’ll have to decide whether to request appointment of a special prosecutor to consider the case against Elwood Mayor Ron Arnold and it could be a few weeks before a charging decision is made.

Arnold met twice with state police investigators and provided them with the campaign documents they requested, his attorney, Bryan Williams, told The Herald Bulletin.

“I’m hopeful the prosecutor will see it as non-criminal,” Williams said. “Mistakes were made, but there was no criminal intent.”

Arnold’s campaign finance records show about $7,000 in spending for cellphone service and nearly $4,000 for cable TV. The records also show about $1,400 was paid to hotels in Los Angeles; Louisville, Kentucky, and Nashville, Tennessee.

Arnold was elected as a Republican in 2011 as mayor of the 9,000-person city about 30 miles northeast of Indianapolis.

Cummings said the state police report recommends two low-level felony charges and possible multiple misdemeanor charges, but declined to release specifics.

“I have reached the conclusion that there is enough credible evidence to review for the filing of possible charges,” Cummings said.

The state police investigation, which began in February, doesn’t recommend charges against anyone else.

Arnold’s campaign committee reported raising and spending about $42,000 during the 2011 election campaign. During 2012 and 2013, the committee reported contributions of $33,763 and expenditures of $34,368, with $1,100 in debt at the end of last year.

http://www.ibj.com/police-fbi-investigate-elwood-mayors-campaign-spending/PARAMS/article/46447


Police, FBI investigate Elwood mayor's campaign spending

Indiana State Police and the FBI are investigating the spending of campaign funds by the mayor of the small Madison County city of Elwood, a former campaign official said.

Former Elwood police chief Sam Hanna, who was treasurer of Mayor Ron Arnold's campaign committee, said state police detectives and FBI agents have interviewed him several times. He said they asked about out-of-state travel and personal expenses that Arnold rung up in 2012 and 2013, the Herald-Bulletin reported.

Arnold denies wrongdoing and said he wasn't aware of the investigation. His campaign finance records show that he spent about $7,000 for wireless phone service and nearly $4,000 for cable TV. Money also was allegedly used to pay for hotel rooms in Los Angeles, Louisville, and Nashville, Tenn.

Hanna said Arnold paid for the purchases with debit card that at times carried a negative balance. Hanna said he questioned some of the expenditures when he signed off on Arnold's 2012 and 2013 campaign finance reports.

"I was concerned," Hanna said.

FBI spokeswoman Wendy Osborne said she could neither confirm nor deny whether Arnold was being investigated.

A state police spokesman did not have any immediate information about an investigation when The Associated Press phoned Monday.

Madison County Prosecutor Rodney Cummings said last week that he initially denied a state police request for Arnold's campaign bank records, but approved it after investigators told him the campaign had paid for cable bills and a hotel room in California.

"There are several possible statute violations," Cummings said. "You can't use campaign funds for your own personal use."

Arnold, a Republican elected in 2011, said he had not traveled to California, but had made a payment to the home address of a hotel chain which is based in Los Angeles.

"I know people all over the state," Arnold said. "I could have been fundraising, campaigning or conducting duties as the mayor. Those should have been rightly paid by my campaign committee."

A state audit raised questions in December about travel expenses Arnold racked up during a business trip to Japan.

“I’ve had a group of people engaging in politics of personal destruction,” Arnold told The Herald-Bulletin. “I won’t engage in politics of personal destruction.”

Elwood is a city of about 8,500 people about 40 miles northeast of Indianapolis, between Tipton and Alexandria.

Indiana State Police and the FBI are investigating campaign finance spending by the mayor of a small Madison County city.

Before his election, Arnold was campaign manager for Indiana Gov. Mike Pence when Pence was a U.S. congressman.

ISP recommends charges against Arnold
http://www.heraldbulletin.com/news/local_news/article_ca405e56-1649-5acd-af47-c05b72ced339.html