JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. — Jamey Noel, the former southern Indiana sheriff facing 25 felony charges, found himself on the receiving end of bold statements from the judge in his case Tuesday, who found Noel in contempt of court.
Noel appeared in Clark County Circuit Court Tuesday for a contempt of court hearing stemming from firearms found inside his residence during a recent search warrant. When Noel posted bond in November following his arrest, Special Judge Larry Medlock ordered him to surrender all firearms, minus one shotgun.
RELATED: Indiana State Police: Jamey Noel and family spent $300,000 on vacations using fire department funds
Two handguns were found during a March 13 search of his Jeffersonville home. After about three hours of witness testimony and multiple breaks in between, Judge Medlock made his decision with a booming and demonstrative strike of the gavel.
"I told Mr. Noel, 'Don't do anything stupid. Do not try to deceive me or defy me. You will not like the consequences.' Today is that day. You are not the law. You don't interpret the law. You don't enforce the law. You're not above the law. I find that you are in contempt of this court. Take him into custody."
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Judge Medlock sentenced Noel to 60 days in jail. Noel and the jail he ran as sheriff were featured on the first season of the A&E series "60 Days In."
"What is an appropriate sanction? I can sentence him to up to 180 days without a trial." Judge Medlock said. "Or I can sentence him to a day, or I could release him. You know what I think the answer is? Sixty days in."
He also said an "independent individual" needs to comb through all of Noel's properties for firearms before he is released.
Noel's defense attorney James Voyles, who was a new addition to the defense team Tuesday, argued Noel made an honest mistake while directing two other people to round up all the guns in his home. Indiana State Police Lt. Jeffrey Hearon, the lead investigator on the case, testified Tuesday that Noel was in possession of 82 guns at the time of his arrest.
According to ISP evidence photos, the two Smith and Wesson pistols that state police seized on March 13 and led to this contempt of court hearing were sitting in a white file box on a chair in Noel's basement. The two guns were still in their original factory packaging. Voyles introduced a receipt showing the guns were purchased in 2017, and he said Noel never used them.
The two men that Noel called and asked to sweep his house for guns on Nov. 9 were Bradley Kramer, his brother-in-law, and Charlie Moon, a Floyd County resident who once ran for Floyd County Council and lost. Kramer said Tuesday he had never met Moon before this moment.
"Do people make mistakes? Of course they do. But we know those guns were purchased in 2017 and they're in the same box. Haven't been disturbed, haven't been out," Voyles said in closing arguments.
Judge Medlock said he was unwilling to give Noel any grace because he "didn't know they were in there."
"Every time I go into court I hear, 'I didn't know it was there. I didn't know it was there.' I've heard that a million times," Medlock said.
Special Prosecutor Ric Hertel said 125 days passed between the time bond conditions were read to Noel and when the two handguns were found, and at any time, Noel could have made a phone call saying he missed two.
Noel will be held at the Scott County jail for 60 days. Hertel said while his trial start date hasn't been set yet, he believes it will be more than 60 days out.
CASE BACKGROUND
Jamey Noel is facing 25 felony charges, including counts of theft, tax evasion, corrupt business practices, ghost employment and official misconduct. The ISP investigation began in June 2023 following allegations that Noel directed jail staff to work on his personal property and run his personal errands while on county time.
His wife Misty Noel is facing 10 felonies; five counts of theft and five counts of tax evasion.
Kasey Noel is facing nine felonies; five counts of theft and four counts of tax evasion.
According to previous court documents, Hearon found millions of dollars of personal purchases made by all three on Utica Township Volunteer Firefighter Association credit cards. He also stated they failed to disclose income on their taxes over a five-year span.
Jamey ran UTVFA until January when he was ousted by the board.
In March, investigators uncovered over $100,000 in tuition and education-related payments were made from the cards by Jamey and Misty. Hearon asked a judge for permission to search Indiana University records regarding Josey and Gracy Noel -- Jamey and Misty's other daughters who are currently enrolled at IU campuses.
In April, ISP said the family spent over $300,000 on vacations using fire department funds without reimbursement.
The investigation also uncovered Jamey fathered a child with former Clark County Councilwoman Brittney Ferree and paid child support payments with UTVFA funds.
Jamey Noel's vast automobile collection has been under scrutiny by investigators since the beginning of the investigation.
According to court documents, 133 vehicles are registered to the Utica Township Volunteer Fire Department and New Chapel EMS. A review of those vehicles showed several were "inconsistent" with a not-for-profit fire department and EMS business.
Jamey is accused of orchestrating a vehicle trading and selling scheme where he traded in several cars registered to the UTVFA for vehicles he then registered to himself for personal use. In some cases, he allegedly sold them and pocketed the money.
Court documents released in early March indicated 26 containers of military surplus equipment belonging to the Clark County Sheriff's Office were found on a property in Deputy, Indiana. Hearon alleged Noel sold multiple items belonging to the sheriff's office and sold them for personal gain.
The investigation has also focused on former Scott County Sheriff Kenneth Hughbanks, a friend and associate of Jamey's. Hearon said Hughbanks failed to report over $200,000 in income on his taxes. He has not been charged.