Amid arrests and turmoil, Warrick County Commission scheduled to hold public meeting
Just days after the Indiana State Police arrested Warrick County's three commissioners on multiple felony charges, including official misconduct, the men are scheduled to go before the public Monday during a regularly scheduled meeting.
It will be the first public appearance for commissioners Terry Phillippe, Robert Johnson and Dan Saylor since the men held a news conference before their arrests last week, during which a spokesperson sought to distance them from an Indiana State Police probe into Warrick County Animal Control.
According to public records, the men are scheduled to host the regular, bi-monthly public meeting of the Warrick County Commission Monday at 4 p.m. Video footage will be uploaded to the county's YouTube channel.
Samantha Hurst, the special prosecutor for cases involving former Warrick County officials and others ensnared in the ISP investigation, formally charged Phillippe, Saylor and Johnson on Thursday with obstruction of justice, false informing and official misconduct, court records show. Phillippe faces an additional charge of perjury.
All three were booked into the Warrick County jail Thursday and later released on a $500 bond.
More: The Warrick County Commissioners have been arrested. What happens now?
Hurst and the state police accused the commissioners of lying to detectives when the men reportedly claimed to have known little about the alleged commingling resources between the county and a local nonprofit run by Warrick County Animal Control's former director, Danielle Barnes.
Barnes and two other women − Susan Broshears, a former animal control assistant, and Jamie Hubiak, the owner of Evansville-based Specialty Pet Grooming − all face charges of theft for their alleged roles in an unlawful pet adoption scheme.
Hurst charged Barnes and Broshears with additional counts of official misconduct, corrupt business influence and ghost employment, court records show.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: What is going on in Warrick County government?
