Are you a journalist looking for an investigative exposé
piece involving a court reporter and county prosecutor fixing Grand Jury
Records that includes a judicial cover-up? Well look no further. This isn’t a
joke. It really is this easy.
STEP ONE: Read Judge
Brian Hill’s order to release grand jury records following the Indiana
Public Access Counselor’s advisory opinion stating Hill erred in denying
requests for the grand jury audio. However, Hill’s order directs Dearborn
Superior Court II court reporter Barbara Ruwe to not prepare exact copies of
the audio from the criminal defamation grand jury investigation of Dan
Brewington but gives Ruwe the authority to copy and paste the audio to recreate
the record at Ruwe’s discretion. Despite already providing multiple excuses why
not to release the audio behind the transcripts, Hill raises a new argument.
Hill now claims the Court just became aware that the audio from Brewington’s
proceedings also include Dearborn County Prosecutor F. Aaron Negangard
frequently switching between “four to five” other grand jury proceedings during
the same period thus requiring Ruwe to cut and paste the from the original
audio recording so the copy would only include audio from Brewington’s
proceeding.
STEP TWO: Follow the link to an “official” transcription
of the grand jury audio from Brewington’s grand jury proceedings certified
by Barbara Ruwe. Hit “Ctrl F” and do a search for words like “record” or “Brewington
case” or any similar words that demonstrate Negangard advising the grand jurors
he was switching back to Brewington’s case. You will find no evidence of
Negangard frequently switching back and forth from Brewington’s case. [Please note
that the grand jury transcripts also begin at witness testimony and do not
include a record of the actual beginning of the proceedings (introductions,
instruction to grand jurors, etc.,) as required by law.]
STEP THREE: Fill in your name and contact information and
submit the following public
records request form to the Superior Court II in Dearborn County, Indiana.
The form requests the entire unedited grand jury record relating to the case of
the State of Indiana v Daniel Brewington. Listen to the audio and then report
your findings. You’ve done it! It really is just that easy.
The above may sound like a cheesy “infomercial” but the
apparent ease of the three-step process demonstrates how egregious the grand
jury abuse actually is in Dearborn County, Indiana. In a hearing on August 17,
2011, Judge Hill admitted the transcripts from the audio into evidence so they
are public record. If the audio matches the transcripts, it will prove that
Dearborn County Prosecutor F. Aaron Negangard omits the prosecution’s arguments
to grand jurors from the official record, thus ignoring constitutional and
Indiana law and giving Negangard a god-like ability before grand juries. If the
audio does have the required opening of the grand jury, in the absence of the
authority of any court (at least not official authority) Ruwe omitted the
opening from the transcription of the grand jury while the prosecution represented
the record as complete during trial. Now Hill is giving Ruwe the authority to
“recreate” an official audio record that Ruwe failed to accurately transcribe
from the beginning.
This is not an isolated incident as there is a pattern of
abuse by Negangard involving grand jury proceedings. In an article
by Mike Perleberg appearing on the website of Eagle Country News, Perleberg
reported on a story involving a nurse indicted by Negangard for reckless
homicide. Perleberg wrote, “After weeks of asking for the grand jury documents,
Kathy Hess’ attorney requested a judge to order the state to share the
documents with the defense. The judge granted that order, but it wasn’t until
just days before the trial date that the documents were provided to the defense.”
Negangard made Brewington a target of a grand jury investigation for what
Negangard believed “over
the top, um, unsubstantiated statements” against a Dearborn County judge
and a professional psychological witness contracted by Negangard. Judge Brian
Hill refused to continue Brewington’s trial while also failing to provide
Brewington with a copy of the grand jury transcripts until less than two weeks
before trial. The same transcripts that the prosecution stated Brewington could
rely on for the specific charging information necessary to build a defense.
If you are a reporter interested in an easy investigation of
abuses of the grand jury process, just follow the above instructions. Feel free
to contact me with any questions.
Dan Brewington
contactdanbrewington@gmail.com
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