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3 Indiana judges suspended for drunken brawl-turned-shooting

By Ed Adamczyk
Clark County, Ind., Circuit Court Judge Andrew Adams -- who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor battery charge in September -- was suspended for 60 days without pay. Photo courtesy Clark County, Ind.
Clark County, Ind., Circuit Court Judge Andrew Adams -- who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor battery charge in September -- was suspended for 60 days without pay. Photo courtesy Clark County, Ind.

Nov. 15 (UPI) -- Three Indiana judges who were involved in a brawl that resulted in two of them being shot have now been suspended by the state Supreme Court for judicial misconduct.

The three judges -- Andrew Adams, Sabrina Bell and Bradley Jacobs -- were attending a conference in Indianapolis in May when they began drinking and became intoxicated. Their outing became violent when Bell insulted a passing vehicle and the judges were confronted by two men inside. A brawl ensued and one of the men from the car pulled a gun and shot Adams and Jacobs. They were seriously injured, but recovered.

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In an eight-page ruling, the Supreme Court censured all three judges for engaging in "judicial misconduct by appearing in public in an intoxicated state and behaving in an injudicious manner and by becoming involved in a verbal altercation." The ruling was issued Tuesday.

The court suspended Adams for 60 days and Jacobs and Bell for 30 days. Adams previously pleaded guilty to one count of misdemeanor battery for his role in the fight and served two days of a one-year sentence. All three will not be paid during the length of their suspensions.

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Brandon Kaiser, the accused shooter, was charged with 14 crimes, including four charges of felony aggravated battery.

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