State Watch

Indiana Supreme Court suspends 3 judges over late-night brawl

Three Indiana judges were suspended this week by the Indiana Supreme Court because of a drunken brawl that left two of the judges shot and in serious condition.

The incident in question, NPR reports, took place back in May in the parking lot of an Indianapolis White Castle at 3 a.m.

Judges Andrew Adams, Bradley Jacobs and Sabrina Bell engaged in a fight with two men – Alfredo Vazquez and Brandon Kaiser – after Bell had flipped the two off as they were passing the parking lot in their SUV. 

Vazquez and Kaiser parked their vehicle and confronted Bell. A physical altercation between the four men broke out, which eventually led to Kaiser drawing a gun and shooting Adams once in the stomach and Jacobs twice in the chest.

Both Adams and Jacobs required emergency surgeries and Jacobs was hospitalized for two weeks.

In its conclusion, the highest court in Indiana said that the trio “engaged 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.”

Kaiser was charged with 14 crimes related to the brawl, including 4 counts of felony aggravated battery, according to NPR.

Jacobs and Bell were both suspended for 30 days without pay, while Adams was suspended for 60 days without pay. Adams also pleaded guilty to one count of misdemeanor battery and was sentenced to 365 days in prison, but only had to serve two of those days.