State may charge former Clark County sheriff's wife

Andrew Harp, The Evening News and the Tribune, Jeffersonville, Ind.
·2 min read

Jan. 16—JEFFERSONVILLE — Former Clark County Sheriff Jamey Noel's wife, Misty Noel, may soon join her husband in facing criminal charges.

Even though nearly all other Clark County court business was canceled because of winter weather, a discovery hearing for the state of Indiana v. Jamey Noel went on as scheduled Tuesday in Clark Circuit Court No. 1 in Jeffersonville.

Noel, a former sheriff and the 9th District and Clark County GOP chair, has been charged with 15 felonies including theft, public corruption and ghost employment.

Special prosecutor Ric Hertel, who is handling the case instead of Clark County Prosecutor Jeremy Mull, said the state is now prepared to move forward with criminal charges on "certain defendants, primarily Misty Noel."

He asked Judge Larry Medlock for guidance from the court on how to proceed. Considering Misty Noel was in the courtroom, Medlock suggested that they could, under his jurisdiction, arrest her under probable cause, but only for 48 hours while criminal charges are filed. A special judge would then be appointed for her case.

Jamey Noel's attorney, Larry Wilder, said he found this announcement from the prosecution "disheartening" and said that this was a "threat" against his client and wife.

"That just doesn't quite sit well with me to even continue to go on to believe that we're going to have this case handled with fairness, equity or with the rule of law being considered the way it should be," Wilder said.

Hertel closed by saying that the state was not prepared to move forward with the charging of Misty Noel since he had no probable cause affidavit for the court Tuesday.

"The state was looking for direction from the court, but we are to that point right now, and I will present it to the correct judge in the correct form," he said.

Jamey Noel's trial is scheduled to begin May 6.

Misty Noel's name has appeared in court documents related to her husband's criminal case.

Last month, a search warrant showed Indiana State Police searched the home of former Scott County Sheriff and party chair Kenny Hughbanks. ISP was looking for any documentation in Hughbanks' home releated to Jamey Noel, Misty Noel, and daughter Kasey Noel, who is a Utica Township Trustee.

ISP was searching Hughbanks' home after alleging Jamey Noel paid him $265,000 as a consultant through jail commissary funds.

The Noel's home was searched last August near the onset of the investigation.

The Jeffersonville home is also the registered address for GENCO Group LLC, which was started in 2018. Misty and Jamey Noel are the only names associated with GENCO, though there's little information about the company online or on the Indiana Secretary of State's business website.