Wayne Township Trustee Chuck Jones resigns, pleads guilty to conflict-of-interest charge

Wayne Township trustee Chuck Jones resigned from his office on Monday as he pleaded guilty to a conflict-of-interest charge for accepting payment from a nonprofit that contracts with the township's fire department.

The Marion County Prosecutor's office brought the charges against Jones, former fire chief Randy Adams, fire chief Louis Lang and employee James Parham after IndyStar reported the concern over the conflict of interest in August of 2021.

"I'm just sorry the whole thing occurred," Jones said when reached by phone by IndyStar on Thursday. "And it never was my intent to try to deceive anybody out of any money."

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

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The charges stemmed from a nonprofit, the Wayne Township Fire Department, Inc., that was formed nearly 70 years ago to run the township's volunteer fire services. It 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.

But trustees and fire chiefs had not been paid as board members since at least as far back as 2000, Lang previously told IndyStar.

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Jones and other board members came under fire for receiving $17,500 each for the 2019-20 tax year — as outlined in the nonprofit's tax forms — while also collecting a salary from the township. The board members were slated to receive another $20,000 each in its 2020-21 tax year, township officials told IndyStar at the time.

The charging documents claimed that the four defendants "knowingly or intentionally" derived a profit from contracts between the fire department and the nonprofit.

Under the plea agreement that all four defendants entered on Monday, the conflict-of-interest charge — considered a level six felony — was downgraded to a misdemeanor charge.

Adams, Jones and Lang must pay $31,939 in restitution to Wayne Township. Parham will pay $1,200. None of the defendants will serve jail time.

The Marion County Democratic Party will hold a caucus of precinct committee members within Wayne Township to fill the trustee vacancy on July 9 at 10:30 a.m. in the Wayne Branch of the Indianapolis Public Library. Interested candidates must file with the county party 72 hours before the caucus.

Jones' term was already almost at an end: voters will elect a new trustee in November. Democrat Jeb Bardon faces Republican Rick Scott.

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 trustee resigns amid guilty plea; caucus will fill spot