Letters filed with the court for and against ex-Fairfield Township trustee

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Former Fairfield Township Trustee Taletha Coles faces the consequences Monday morning for her guilty pleas to official misconduct, conflict of interest and tax exemption fraud.

The guilty pleas will become official Monday if Tippecanoe Superior 1 Judge Randy Williams accepts the plea agreement.

In preparation for Monday's hearing, letters have been filed with the court as victim impact statements, as well as letters supporting Coles and attesting to her character.

Fairfield Township Board President Perry Schnarr and former township employee Trisha Fogleman shared their letters with the Journal & Courier.

Letters also were filed by Rocky Hession, the former township board secretary and Monica Casanova, the current township trustee, according to the court file.

Coles also made six submissions to Williams, according to the court file.

In those letters, Coles deflects responsibility for the crimes. She blamed township board members, former township employees, former township Trustee Julie Roush and the media for the problems that led to indictments on 42 counts and guilty pleas to four charges.

Dozens of people submitted letters in support of Coles' character. The letters were from friends and professionals through the years and across the country. She had school chums submit letters, as well as people she used to work with.

Alexandra Shaw, a woman who has known Coles for 15 years, wrote, "All of my dealings and word I hear through those friendships about Taletha Coles is that her character is above reproach. Her word is her bond. ... I have never heard her speak an unkind word towards others."

"I implore you to consider the immense positive impact Taletha has had and continues to have on our community," Paula Davis of Lafayette wrote in Coles' support. "She is an invaluable asset whose absence would be deeply felt."

In contrast, Casanova wrote, "One of the major responsibilities of the Township Trustee is providing assistance to some of the most vulnerable members of our community.

"Ms. Coles neglected that duty in favor of enriching herself. ... She violated basic ethical and legal standards," Casanova wrote of Coles' time as trustee between Jan. 1, 2019 and Oct. 19, 2022.

Schnarr numerated several of Coles' actions, all of which have been reported in the Journal & Courier, including her unauthorized purchase of a truck and trailer, locking the board out of the township offices and taking the staff for a taxpayer-funded outing to a restaurant, spa and pedicure.

"Because of her behavior," Schnarr wrote, "the board and new trustee have had to work hard to earn back the trust of all the people in Lafayette and Fairfield Township. I hope we have done that."

Fogleman's letter reveals how she saw Coles turn away people in need of assistance.

"The worst was when people called in and their utility had been shut off," Fogleman wrote. "(S)he instructed me to tell them to call another agency ... because we could not help them.

"I had to tell people who were crying, with children and their power had been turned off that we could not help them," Fogleman wrote. "I found out shortly before I left that was a complete lie.

Fogleman noted that Coles is not remorseful for her actions.

"Not an hour after pleading guilty in your court," Fogleman wrote to Tippecanoe Superior 1, "she was on Facebook declaring her innocence and publicly smearing my name again.

"She knew at the time what she was doing was wrong and she knows it now," Fogleman wrote. "She just doesn't care. Taletha Coles does what she wants.

"I have never been put in the position of a whistleblower before," Fogleman wrote. "To be honest, it was an awful experience. But it was necessary."

Sentencing is at 9:30 a.m. Monday

At the conclusion of Monday's sentencing hearing, Coles will learn how much time — if any — she'll spend incarcerated and under court supervision.

The three Level 6 felonies she admitted to each carry a possible sentence between six and 30 months in prison, and the Class B misdemeanor of tax exemption fraud carries a possible incarceration sentence of 180 days, according to Indiana law. That's a possible penalty of eight years under court supervision.

Coles already knows she'll be repaying $42,379.73 to taxpayers, based on a Jan. 12 restitution hearing.

If Williams accepts the guilty pleas, Coles will be a convicted felon and ineligible to hold public office again.

The Journal & Courier will publish a story late Monday morning at jconline.com about the outcome of the hearing.

Reach Ron Wilkins at rwilkins@jconline.com. Follow on Twitter: @RonWilkins2.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Court docket contained letters for and against ex-township trustee