Monday, June 04, 2012

Indianapolis City Councilor Arrested In Scuffle With Police

City-County Councilor Joe Simpson
Freshman Indianapolis City-County Councilor Joe Simpson (D), who represents a near-northside council district, was arrested last night after interfering with a police investigation at the scene of a burglary of his neighbor's home. Simpson has been charged with resisting law enforcement, disorderly conduct and refusing to leave an emergency area. WRTV reports:

According to the police report, officers asked Simpson to leave the home several times, but he refused and became belligerent.
"You don't have to talk to me like that. I don't know who you think you are talking to," Simpson told an officer, according to the police report.
Once Simpson left the house, he continued to yell at officers, drawing a crowd outside the house, police said.
"This is a public sidewalk. This is a public street," Simpson told officers, according to the report. "I pay taxes on all of it, and I pay your salary, too!"
When officers approached Simpson, he forcefully pulled his arm away, police said.
Simpson was arrested on preliminary charges of refusal to leave an emergency area, resisting law enforcement and disorderly conduct.
He later apologized to officers, according to the police report.

Simpson's district includes the Mapleton-Fall Creek neighborhood, which has been plagued by burglaries. One of my neighbors related to me last night how a friend of his is trying to rehab a home near 30th and College and has been the victim of several break-ins, including a theft of all the new appliances and a new HVAC system he installed in the home.

UPDATE: Marion Co. GOP Chairman Kyle Walker released the following statement in response to Simpson's arrest.
"The arrest of Democrat City-County Councillor Joseph Simpson is the second time in less than four years that a Democrat Councillor has been arrested for violating the law and then resisting law enforcement.  Our police officers have a tough enough job without such disrespect and interference from Democrat members of the City-County Council.  This pattern of contempt for our public safety officers needs to stop immediately.  I call upon Council President Maggie Lewis to remove Councillor Simpson from the Public Safety Committee and Law Enforcement Study Commission and to condemn the actions of her fellow Democrats in hopes that this pattern does not continue."
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6 comments:

  1. patriot paul9:27 AM EST

    I'm reminded of your post in 2008:
    http://advanceindiana.blogspot.com/2008/06/councilor-doris-minton-mcneil-busted.html

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  2. Unigov11:47 AM EST

    I don't think Simpson did much harm, but you don't want to mess around while the cops are trying to do their job. He should have asked to speak with an officer away from the scene. He's lucky he wasn't tased or put in a choke-hold.

    Burglary on a rehab at 30th and College ? It's rampant in Center Township...I used to live downtown and moved away because couldn't take the constant thefts and breakins. It wears you down after a while.

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  3. Downtown Indy12:33 PM EST

    The biggest hindrance to revitalizing vacant homes in the city is the voraciousness of 'scrappers' (i.e, thieves)

    And the scrappers are induced by the fact OmniSource seems to have a scrapyard in every run down neighborhood. So convenient they are always in walking-while-pushing-a-shopping-cart distance

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  4. patriot paul2:46 PM EST

    Does anything really think this will stop the City Council members' law breaking? Kyle Walker wants Maggie Lewis to slap the hand of Joe Simpson. Mommie is supposed to tell her wayward child to go to his room. Yeah, that's supposed to correct everything?

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    Contact: Kyle Walker
    Email: Kyle@indyrepublicans.com
    June 4th, 2012

    Statement from Marion County Republican Chairman Kyle Walker on the Arrest of City-County Councillor Joseph Simpson

    (INDIANAPOLIS) "The arrest of Democrat City-County Councillor Joseph Simpson is the second time in less than four years that a Democrat Councillor has been arrested for violating the law and then resisting law enforcement. Our police officers have a tough enough job without such disrespect and interference from Democrat members of the City-County Council. This pattern of contempt for our public safety officers needs to stop immediately. I call upon Council President Maggie Lewis to remove Councillor Simpson from the Public Safety Committee and Law Enforcement Study Commission and to condemn the actions of her fellow Democrats in hopes that this pattern does not continue."

    ReplyDelete
  5. Marycatherine Barton5:10 PM EST

    Four Shakespearean words: Much Ado About Nothing.

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  6. Jeff Cox5:31 AM EST

    Based on this story, it sounds like Simpson cares more about fighting with police than he does solving the burglaries in his district.

    ReplyDelete