Dearborn County Court Alters Grand Jury Records to Assist Prosecutor

Dearborn county, Indiana: An Ohio man filed documents in the Dearborn Superior Court I alleging the Dearborn Superior Court II altered grand jury transcripts and audio to assist Dearborn County Prosecutor F. Aaron Negangard obtain convictions for criminal defamation and then obstructed access to the grand jury records. Dan Brewington’s Motion for Summary Judgment in a lawsuit seeking release of public records, claims the recently released audio from a 2011 grand jury investigation does not match the transcription of the proceedings released over five years ago. Brewington’s petition also states the Dearborn Superior Court II omitted dialogue between Prosecutor Negangard and grand jurors, failed to provide any record of the proceedings that occurred prior to witness testimony, and the Court reformatted and renamed audio files. Brewington’s lawsuit, filed July 14, 2016, claims the Superior Court II improperly denied access to the grand jury audio for nearly 4.5 years and the Indiana Public Access Counselor issued an opinion agreeing with Brewington. The case is currently on hold pending the appointment of a special judge by the Indiana Supreme Court after Ripley Circuit Court Judge Ryan King declined the appointment of Special Judge following the recusal of Dearborn Superior Court I Judge Jonathan Cleary. Requests for copies of grand jury records can be address to contactdanbrewington@gmail.com.