SEYMOUR – Jackson County Circuit Court Senior Judge Chris D. Monroe has dismissed the criminal case against former Seymour Police officer Carl Lamb.
Lamb and Former Police Chief Bill Abbot were arrested on charges of ghost employment, official misconduct, and theft on February 12, 2020. Both were placed on administrative leave in October 2019 after an investigation was initiated by the Indiana State Police after ISP received an anonymous tip about potential wrongdoing within the department.
In both cases, Jackson Circuit Court Judge Richard W. Poynter initially appointed Attorney C. Michael Steiner as the special prosecutor. After Steiner filed the cases in Jackson Circuit Court, Poynter recused himself from both cases. In July 2020, Special Prosecutor Sonia Leerkamp from Monroe County was appointed to represent the state in the cases.
According to Jackson County Prosecutor Jeffrey Chalfant, the case was dismissed under Criminal Rule 4 after there was no conclusion of the case against Lamb within the one-year requirement by law.
The case against Abbott remains active, although no hearings or trial is scheduled at this time.
Abbott’s attorney, Brad Johnson, filed a motion on October 5, 2021, to discharge the case. On Nov. 11, Judge Monroe ruled that the court had been advised the parties were entering into a deferred prosecution agreement and that there was no need for him to act on the motion to discharge.
Abbott began his career as a patrolman in 1989 and served as police chief from 2008 until his retirement in September 2019. Lamb joined the force in 1987 as a patrolman and retired on February 14, 2020.
