More corruption, more to come soon.

From the Indy Star today: We are trying to keep up with the corruption, but it is hard work.



Lawrence Township Trustee Mike Hobbs was charged today with two felonies on accusations he used fire department money to pay his rent.

Marion County prosecutors filed one count of theft and one count of official misconduct against Hobbs. Both are Class D felonies carrying maximum penalties of three years in prison and a $10,000 fine upon conviction.

Hobbs, 25, obtained a check for $500 from the Castleton Volunteer Fire Department and represented it as a charitable contribution, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Marion Superior Court. The check, made payable to "Park Harrison," was given by Hobbs to Park Harrison Apartment Complex in February to pay his rent, the affidavit says.

In the check's memo portion, the affidavit says, someone wrote "Lawrence Township Historical Society."

Reached at his office this afternoon, Hobbs said he would call back and quickly hung up. A warrant has been issued for his arrest on $10,000 bond.

Hobbs told an investigator he saw nothing wrong with using the check that way at the time, but said "it does look bad," according the affidavit. Hobbs said Lawrence Township Fire Department Chief Brian Wisehart and an assistant chief, both signatories on the Castleton department's account, gave him the check but didn't know it would be used to pay rent.

"He is a public official. He's entrusted with fund and entrusted with the idea that he is going to handle those funds responsibly," said Barbara Crawford, the prosecutor's chief charging deputy.

In Indiana, elected officials immediately lose their position if they are convicted of a felony. Hobbs, a Democrat, began serving as trustee in January. He previously served in Iraq as a U.S. Marine.

In June, Hobbs was arrested and charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated, a misdemeanor. That charge still is pending in Marion Superior Court.

Crawford said the charging process was handled normally in the new case after an investigation by Indiana State Police. Prosecutor Carl Brizzi is a Republican.