A $4.8 million embezzlement scheme involving his wife and daughter. A collection of cars and cigars purchased with the ill-gotten gains. More of the money diverted to a former county councilwoman for child support payments after their affair resulted in an out-of-wedlock birth. Commissary funds from the county jail plundered for his handpicked successor. The allegations against Jamey Noel, 52, the former sheriff of Indiana’s Clark County, couldn’t get much worse.

But then on April 9, 2024, Clark County Circuit Court Special Judge Larry Metlock tore into Noel for violating an order to surrender his weapons, issued when he was arrested the previous November. “You are not above the law,” thundered Metlock, finding Noel in contempt of court and ordering him jailed for 60 days.

Noel was arrested on November 9, 2023, on 15 felony charges alleging fraud and theft by spending $4.8 million in funds from the Utica Township Volunteer Firefighters Association (UTVFA) to purchase two dozen Cadillacs, Chevrolet Camaros and Corvettes, which he then registered to himself, among other personal items including vacations, timeshares and cigars. Two months later, Noel was hit with 10 additional charges after Indiana State Police (ISP) investigators unearthed canceled checks for $82,000 from UTVFA that was paid to former county councilwoman Brittney Ferree between January 2019 and December 2022; those payments were court-ordered support, ISP said, for a child she had with Noel following an affair. Noel was the longtime CEO of UTFVA, as well as chair of the county Republican party. A LinkedIn account in Ferree’s name says she owns a hair salon in Jeffersonville called Headplay.

The former sheriff’s wife, Misty Noel, 50, was then arrested on February 2, 2024, on 10 felony charges for taking part in the scheme, which investigators said included tax fraud on over $380,000 in unreported income as well as a white BMW that Ferree “bought” from UTVFA for $21,000—money that was never actually paid, they said. The couple’s daughter, Kasey Noel, 27, was allegedly the conduit for some of the illicit transactions, including donations to Ferree’s campaign for the council seat that gave her voting power over the county’s contract with UTVFA affiliate New Chapel EMS. She was arrested on 10 felony charges on March 8, 2024.

Just over a month later, Judge Metlock jailed Noel after learning that he had failed to get rid of two guns he wasn’t allowed to keep after his arrest. Ironically, the judge settled on a 60-day sentence because Noel was Sheriff in 2016 when the Clark County Jail was featured on the first season of the A&E show 60 Days In. ISP discovered shortly after opening the investigation into Noel in June 2023 that he diverted on-duty jail staff to run his personal errands and work on his privately owned property. Also ironic: Before he was elected Sheriff in 2015, Noel spent 22 years as an ISP trooper.

Noel’s brother and former employee, Bradley Kramer, moved on from the Sheriff’s Department to Indiana University (IU) but was fired on February 7, 2024, after allegations surfaced that Clark County Jail records were forged in an apparent attempt to qualify Kramer for pension benefits. IU was also subpoenaed for tuition payment records for Noel’s younger two daughters as ISP investigators tried to track down all the stolen UTVFA funds. ISP said as well that Noel’s successor, former Sheriff Kenneth Hughbanks, received $200,000 in jail commissary funds while Noel was Sheriff. Hughbanks has not been criminally charged, but he is among nine people named in civil suits arising from the ISP investigation.

After Noel went to jail for contempt of court in March 2023, ISP investigators found 26 shipping containers that belonged to the former Sheriff, containing merchandise purchased with New Chapel EMS credit cards—some even after he was jailed. That provoked Judge Metlock to up Noel’s bond from $75,000 to $1.5 million on June 4, 2024, for “flaunting luxuries” including “an airplane, a train that was hidden, a stable of exotic motor vehicles, a harem of women, at least three mansions, at least $3,000 suits, [and] $800 belts,” all while county taxpayers were “trying to survive, working paycheck to paycheck.”

Meanwhile current Sheriff Scottie Maples is dealing with fallout from a notorious “night of terror” at the county jail in October 2021, during Noel’s tenure, when detained women were sexually assaulted by fellow detainees from the men’s side of the jail using keys sold by a guard. As PLN reported, detainee Jordan Sykes admitted paying off guard David Lowe for the keys, and both are now awaiting trial. [See: PLN, June 2023, p.25.] Clark County reportedly settled a lawsuit filed by 28 victims for $370,500 on June 4, 2024. PLN has requested those documents and will report details as they are available.

Sources: Louisville Public Media, WAVE, WBIW, WHAS

A $4.8 million embezzlement scheme involving his wife and daughter. A collection of cars and cigars purchased with the ill-gotten gains. More of the money diverted to a former county councilwoman for child support payments after their affair resulted in an out-of-wedlock birth. Commissary funds from the county jail plundered for his handpicked successor. The allegations against Jamey Noel, 52, the former sheriff of Indiana’s Clark County, couldn’t get much worse.

But then on April 9, 2024, Clark County Circuit Court Special Judge Larry Metlock tore into Noel for violating an order to surrender his weapons, issued when he was arrested the previous November. “You are not above the law,” thundered Metlock, finding Noel in contempt of court and ordering him jailed for 60 days.

Noel was arrested on November 9, 2023, on 15 felony charges alleging fraud and theft by spending $4.8 million in funds from the Utica Township Volunteer Firefighters Association (UTVFA) to purchase two dozen Cadillacs, Chevrolet Camaros and Corvettes, which he then registered to himself, among other personal items including vacations, timeshares and cigars. Two months later, Noel was hit with 10 additional charges after Indiana State Police (ISP) investigators unearthed canceled checks for $82,000 from UTVFA that was paid to former county councilwoman Brittney Ferree between January 2019 and December 2022; those payments were court-ordered support, ISP said, for a child she had with Noel following an affair. Noel was the longtime CEO of UTFVA, as well as chair of the county Republican party. A LinkedIn account in Ferree’s name says she owns a hair salon in Jeffersonville called Headplay.

The former sheriff’s wife, Misty Noel, 50, was then arrested on February 2, 2024, on 10 felony charges for taking part in the scheme, which investigators said included tax fraud on over $380,000 in unreported income as well as a white BMW that Ferree “bought” from UTVFA for $21,000—money that was never actually paid, they said. The couple’s daughter, Kasey Noel, 27, was allegedly the conduit for some of the illicit transactions, including donations to Ferree’s campaign for the council seat that gave her voting power over the county’s contract with UTVFA affiliate New Chapel EMS. She was arrested on 10 felony charges on March 8, 2024.

Just over a month later, Judge Metlock jailed Noel after learning that he had failed to get rid of two guns he wasn’t allowed to keep after his arrest. Ironically, the judge settled on a 60-day sentence because Noel was Sheriff in 2016 when the Clark County Jail was featured on the first season of the A&E show 60 Days In. ISP discovered shortly after opening the investigation into Noel in June 2023 that he diverted on-duty jail staff to run his personal errands and work on his privately owned property. Also ironic: Before he was elected Sheriff in 2015, Noel spent 22 years as an ISP trooper.

Noel’s brother and former employee, Bradley Kramer, moved on from the Sheriff’s Department to Indiana University (IU) but was fired on February 7, 2024, after allegations surfaced that Clark County Jail records were forged in an apparent attempt to qualify Kramer for pension benefits. IU was also subpoenaed for tuition payment records for Noel’s younger two daughters as ISP investigators tried to track down all the stolen UTVFA funds. ISP said as well that Noel’s successor, former Sheriff Kenneth Hughbanks, received $200,000 in jail commissary funds while Noel was Sheriff. Hughbanks has not been criminally charged, but he is among nine people named in civil suits arising from the ISP investigation.

After Noel went to jail for contempt of court in March 2023, ISP investigators found 26 shipping containers that belonged to the former Sheriff, containing merchandise purchased with New Chapel EMS credit cards—some even after he was jailed. That provoked Judge Metlock to up Noel’s bond from $75,000 to $1.5 million on June 4, 2024, for “flaunting luxuries” including “an airplane, a train that was hidden, a stable of exotic motor vehicles, a harem of women, at least three mansions, at least $3,000 suits, [and] $800 belts,” all while county taxpayers were “trying to survive, working paycheck to paycheck.”

Meanwhile current Sheriff Scottie Maples is dealing with fallout from a notorious “night of terror” at the county jail in October 2021, during Noel’s tenure, when detained women were sexually assaulted by fellow detainees from the men’s side of the jail using keys sold by a guard. As PLN reported, detainee Jordan Sykes admitted paying off guard David Lowe for the keys, and both are now awaiting trial. [See: PLN, June 2023, p.25.] Clark County reportedly settled a lawsuit filed by 28 victims for $370,500 on June 4, 2024. PLN has requested those documents and will report details as they are available.

Sources: Louisville Public Media, WAVE, WBIW, WHAS

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