Wayne Township officials to plead guilty to felony charges after IndyStar investigation

Wayne Township trustee Chuck Jones and township fire officials have agreed to plea guilty to conflict of interest after taking salaries from both the township and a nonprofit under contract with the Wayne Township Fire Department, a lower-level felony that effectively removes Jones from office.

The charging documents, filed on Friday by Marion County prosecutors, claim that Jones, former fire chief Randy Adams, current fire chief Michael Lang and James Parham "knowingly or intentionally" derived a profit from contracts between the fire department and the nonprofit, listed as Wayne Township Fire Department, Inc.

The charges came after IndyStar reported the concern over the conflict of interest in August of 2021.

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The nonprofit paid each of its board members $17,500 for the 2019-20 tax year, according to the nonprofit's tax forms. The board members were slated to receive another $20,000 each in its 2020-21 tax year, township officials told the IndyStar at the time.

As township trustee, Jones also made $104,650 in 2021, while Lang made $144,903, according to state salary records. Parham, listed as a part-time employee with the fire department, made $1,881.  Adams, who retired as chief last May, took home $89,047.

All four will plea guilty to the count, classified as a level six felony, and will collectively pay $97,017 in restitution to the township. Jones, Lang and Adams will each pay $31,939 and Parham will pay $1,200 over 12 months.

None of the four will serve any jail time, in accordance with a plea agreement. A hearing for formal entry of the plea will be set for a later date.

With Jones no longer eligible for office, Marion County Democrats will need to hold a caucus to select a successor to serve out the remainder of the term, which ends this year. He did not seek reelection.

Jones, a former union official, burst into the public eye when he feuded with Donald Trump in 2016 over jobs at Carrier.

Jones declined to comment when reached by phone, but in a statement Friday stressed his deep respect and admiration for the Wayne Township community.

"I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to my employees, the citizens of Wayne Township, and the rest of my community," Jones said. "I solemnly regret my actions that created this conflict of interest and I have taken full responsibility for my lack of discretion. I pray that our community will heal and continue to blossom as I take steps to remedy this unfortunate situation."

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Reached by phone, Parham declined to comment.

Lang said in an email that under advisement from his attorney, he would not make a public statement until the court accepts his plea agreement. He said a hearing has been scheduled for June 24.

"Until that time, there will be no administrative changes," Lang said. "I will make full disclosure and a statement when it is appropriate."

Adams could not immediately be reached for comment.

Indiana law states that elected officials are no longer eligible for office if they plead guilty to a felony.

Although the conflict of interest statute is classified as a level six felony, plea agreements for all four defendants reduce the charge and sentencing guidelines to that of a misdemeanor at the time of sentencing, according to the prosecutor's office.

Jones will still be unable to hold elected office, according to the prosecutor's office.

"The resolution of this investigation makes the residents of Wayne Township financially whole while holding those accountable for their actions," Michael Leffler, spokesperson for the prosecutor's office, said in a statement.

It's unclear when Jones will leave office, or if he has already left.

The plea agreement allows all four defendants to have their records expunged after one year and after restitution is paid.

The nonprofit was formed nearly 70 years ago to run the township's volunteer fire services, but took on a lighter fundraising and events role once the township professionalized its fire department.

The township trustee and fire chief have customarily sat on the nonprofit's five-person board, joining three other members that continued to represent firefighters.

The three members representing firefighters were paid from 1999 to 2015, a move that ended as the nonprofit ramped down its functions. But trustees and fire chiefs had not been paid as board members since at least as far back as 2000, Lang previously told the IndyStar.

Jones previously told the IndyStar that he was unaware that previous township trustees had not taken a salary as a member of the nonprofit board.

“I don’t feel like at the time that I was trying to do anything under the table, illegal, or anything else,” he said at the time. "But the perception is it shouldn’t have been done.”

Jeb Bardon, who won the Democratic primary for the Wayne Township trustee seat as the party-endorsed candidate, said in a statement that he was extremely saddened by the news.

"It’s now time for a fresh start in Wayne Township. Trust must be restored. Transparency must be improved. And a high level of financial accountability must be put in place," said Bardon, who previously served as Jones' campaign treasurer. "If elected Wayne Township trustee, that’s exactly what I intend to do. This can never happen again."

Bardon faces Republican Richard Scott for the seat in the general election.

Call IndyStar reporter Amelia Pak-Harvey at 317-444-6175 or email her at apakharvey@indystar.com. Follow her on Twitter @AmeliaPakHarvey.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Wayne Township officials to plead guilty to felony charges