Northwest Indiana Discussion

Delaware County Prosecutor Sues to Remove Treasurer Charged with 47 Felonies
By Ken Davidson - Published: 04/27/2014 - Section: Uncategorized

by Ken Davidson

Alleging that “John B. Dorer, as Treasurer of Delaware County, has repeatedly and consistently failed to keep the accounts of his office as directed by the Indiana State Board of Accounts,” Delaware Count Prosecutor Jeffrey Arnold is requesting that a local Court remove Dorer from office. In a separate matter, Dorer was charged criminally with 46 felony counts, primarily for failing to make timely deposits of County money. The probable cause affidavit states “John Dorer made 44 late and unlawful deposits between 2009 and 2011 totalling $2,879,389.86 in public funds.”

According to Delaware County Prosecutor Jeffrey Arnold, the little used statute allowing removal of a public official from office has been used at least once before. The Morgan County Prosecutor removed a republican township trustee in 2013 after it was alleged she wholly failed to file reports and had stolen money. The statute provides for removal from office due to “non-feasance” Arnold explained in an interview. The removal from office is charged as a misdemeanor offense according to the statute, but it is wholly separate from the felony offenses.

The allegations of late deposits came to light three years ago when Dorer was arrested for driving while intoxicated. While conducting a routine inventory of Dorer’s vehicle, officers discovered $70,000 in County funds which had not been deposited in the bank. The funds were deposited three days later. After that incident, the Indiana State Board of Accounts made numerous findings that funds were not deposited within 24 hours, as required by law. The Prosecutor cites three years worth of SBOA reports directing Dorer to make timely deposits.

Dorer has entered a plea of not guilty to both the felony and misdemeanor charges. Dorer remains in the office of Delaware County Treasurer at this time. All criminal defendants are presumed to be innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

See the charging documents:

Charging Information and Witness List http://nwigazette.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Charging-Information-and-Witness-List.pdf

Motion to Remove JD as Treasurer http://nwigazette.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Motion-to-Remove-JD-as-Treasurer.pdf