Former Columbus Township trustee facing theft, misconduct charges
Note: This story has been updated
A former Columbus Township trustee is facing theft and misconduct charges. That comes after an audit revealed more than $1.1 million in personal spending from local government accounts.
According to Bartholomew County Prosecutor Lindsey Holden-Kay, former trustee 56-year-old Ben Jackson is facing 18 felony charges, including nine each of theft and official misconduct. He turned himself into authorities yesterday and was taken to the Bartholomew County Jail.
A State Board of Accounts audit was sparked after an anonymous tip about improper purchases including travel involving Jackson and his family members. The audit, released in May, found $1.1 million of Jackson’s personal expenses were made through a township card and nearly another $40 thousand in expenses were questionable.
The largest category of improper spending was nearly $658 thousand in travel expenses unrelated to township business that included Jackson, his wife and their three adult children. The report also documents more than $150 thousand in personal retail spending, just under $91 thousand in spending for university expenses for the three children and almost $40,000 in personal utilities.
Jackson resigned from the office in November after Indiana State Police began a criminal investigation.
According to court documents, in an interview with investigators Jackson admitted to using township funds for personal expenses and said he didn’t know how much he had spent. He said he personally handled the payment of the township credit card bills and used inaccurate budget codes to cover the purchases.
Holden-Kay said that the case has been filed in Bartholomew Circuit Court and Judge Kelly Benjamin has recused herself. The case is awaiting the assignment of a special judge.