Clark Co. Sheriff Pleads Guilty To Federal Charges One Day After Resigning

Yesterday, Clark Co. Sheriff Danny Rodden (D) resigned just two months after he faced a federal indictment that accused him of tampering with evidence and making false statements to FBI agents regarding his relationship with a prostitute at a Louisville hotel. Today, he pleaded guilty to three counts filed against him, including counseling in the destruction of evidence and two counts of providing false statements to law enforcement, in exchange for an agreement to dismiss other charges against him according to the Jeffersonville Evening News.

Under the stipulated facts of his plea agreement, Rodden admitted that he met with a prostitute in a hotel room at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on May 29, 2013 in which he paid $300 to the prostitute for oral sex and also provided the prostitute with a uniformed shirt and other clothing bearing the insignia of the Clark Co. Sheriff's Department. FBI agents interviewed Rodden in May of this year a short time after the prostitute agreed to become an informant for the agency. Rodden told the agent he never had sex with that woman or paid her for sex. Immediately after the interview, Rodden telephoned the prostitute and ordered her to dispose of the clothing bearing the sheriff's department insignia that he had given to her. During a subsequent interview with FBI agents in June, Rodden again lied about his relationship with the prostitute and denied he had her telephone number. Rodden's criminal defense team included high-profile Indianapolis attorney Jim Voyles and Larry "Trash Can" Wilder of Jeffersonville.

According to federal prosecutors, Rodden is likely to be sentenced between 10 and 16 months if the federal judge accepts the plea agreement. Rodden had been placed on administrative leave on July 30 following his indictment. A chief deputy who assumed his duties initially, John Kahafer, died unexpectedly on August 25 days after being hospitalized. Another deputy, Brian Meyer, became active sheriff. The Clark Co. Democratic Party will hold a caucus to select someone to fill out the remainder of Rodden's term, which ends this year. Meyer, the Democratic candidate on the November ballot, is expected to be chosen by the party to fill out the remainder of Rodden's term. Jamey Noel, the Clark Co. Republican Chairman, is the GOP candidate for sheriff this November. Rodden is the second Indiana sheriff to see his career end this year over a relationship with a prostitute. Boone Co. Sheriff Ken Campbell (R) resigned earlier this year for allegedly having a relationship with the very same prostitute who ended Rodden's career. No charges have been filed against Campbell.