Fairfield Township trustee sued for back rent and damages
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was updated Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2021, to reflect Trustee Taletha Coles' comments on the pending lawsuit.
LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Fairfield Township Trustee Taletha Coles still rents an apartment at 517 N. 10th St., but she's behind in her rent and being sued, according to a lawsuit filed earlier this month.
BW Parks Property Management filed suit on Nov. 19, saying Coles rented the apartment starting on Oct. 25, 2013, but her last payment was July 15, 2021.
The property management company applied Coles' $725 damage deposit to the amount she allegedly owes, according to the small claims filing.
Coles, however, still owes $1,109 in rent and damages, according to the small-claims lawsuit that also asks for $200 in attorney's fees and $118.74 for court cost.
"He files these on everyone," Coles wrote in response to the Journal & Courier's request for a comment, "and we are working it out.
Coles lived at the 10th Street address in 2018 when she filed to run for trustee.
She purchased a house at 1214 Roberts St. in May 2021. However, she has not updated her voter registration to the Roberts Street address, according to county documents.
Coles and the Fairfield Township Board have been at odds with each other since early in 2020 after the board learned that Coles used money appropriated for a community center to purchase a pickup truck and trailer, allegedly for the township's use.
Former employees told the Journal & Courier that Coles routinely drove township vehicles for personal use. One former township employee photographed the township's new pickup truck at a campground, and saw Coles and some children get out of the truck.
The kids went swimming, and the former employee saw Coles drinking at a beachside bar at the campground.
Coles refuses to provide the township board with a policy about the use of the pickup truck and has not provided a log about its travels.
A review of online financial records also indicates that Coles spent $72,000 on credit card charges in 2019 and 2020 — her first two years in office.
Coles, a Democrat, also has not complied with the township's policy setting perimeters for the use of the credit card. The policy was approved and implemented by former Trustee Julie Roush, but the current board — all Democrats — have not amended the policy.
By comparison, between 2011-18, Roush spent a total of $34,768.01 on credit card charges.
The Journal & Courier filed a request in September to inspect the credit card receipts and statements. Coles has not released the public documents for inspection.
Reach Ron Wilkins at rwilkins@jconline.com. Follow on Twitter: @RonWilkins2.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Lafayette trustee sued for back rent and damages
