TERRE HAUTE —
Indiana’s sex offender registry, consumer protection and protecting children from abuse while improving the state’s Child Protective Services agency are among the top issues for Indianapolis attorney Kay Fleming, Democatic candidate for Indiana Attorney General.
She faces Republican Attorney General Greg Zoeller in the November general election. Zoeller was elected to the office in 2008.
“The Department of Child Services is broken and needs to be fixed,” Fleming said during a stop in Terre Haute Wednesday, noting that some changes made to how abuse and neglect cases are reported and investigated have harmed the child protection system.
The state’s sentencing laws also need to be overhauled, she said, because some are out of date. The state has only four felony classifications for crimes, she said, and often a nonviolent offender will get a longer prison sentence than a violent offender such as a rapist.
“We need different classifications of felonies, and to revamp sentencing so that violent offenders spend more time in prison than nonviolent offenders,” she said.
She also supports bringing the state’s online sex and violent offender database under the oversight of the attorney general. The state’s Department of Correction currently partners with the Indiana Sheriff’s Association to provide the online resource in all Indiana counties. But the state law is interpreted differently by each sheriff’s department, and the state law is not compliant with the federal law on tracking convicted sex and violent offenders.
“There are 92 sheriffs across the state who all have to interpret the state law, so you can have inconsistencies from county to county,” she said.
She noted that most sheriff’s departments are doing a good job of documenting and tracking these convicted felons, but she asserted the system could be improved by moving it to the attorney general’s office for consistent oversight and enforcement of the law.
Providing resources to local prosecuting attorneys is also high on her list for the attorney general’s office, she said. Many counties already have state offices housed on local levels, so it would be easy to add a simple office for a state attorney who could handle more complicated cases.
Fleming said that is one complaint she has heard from local prosecutors, who see cases such as identity theft or fraud that take a lot of investigation, but can be overshadowed by drug cases.
“Small counties would welcome the assistance to pursue these cases,” she said.
Fleming said she is also a supporter of women’s issues and small business enterprises, and feels the current attorney general contracts out too much of the legal work that could be handled in-house without being outsourced.
Fleming is member and president of Fleming Stage LLC attorneys at law. The focus of her legal practice are on gaming, charitable gaming and sweepstakes law, nonprofit organizational issues, the certification of minority, women and disadvantaged business enterprises, and the development of participation plans for a diverse vendor base.
She has been a partner with the Ice Miller law firm, and chief counsel for the Indiana Gaming Commission, clerked in federal court for the Southern District of Indiana, and began her law career as a probation officer.
Reporter Lisa Trigg can be reached at 812-231-4254 or lisa.trigg@tribstar.com. Follow her on Twitter @TribStarLisa.
Local & Bistate
AG candidate spells out concerns
Fleming is Zoeller’s Democratic opponent
- Local & Bistate
-
-
Life-Size Ping Pong: Valley pickleball tourney draws large crowd to Brittlebank Park
It’s been described as “ping pong on steroids.”
-
Boat trip aims to raise awareness about Lewy Body Dementia
In 2013, the Year of the River, it makes sense to link a grand adventure on the Wabash River with a good cause.
-
Legislature had little taste for alcohol bills
When it comes to alcohol, the 2013 legislative session may be marked more by what it didn’t do to boost booze sales than what it did.
-
STATE OF THE STATEHOUSE: Is it regulation that doesn’t make sense or evening the playing field?
I’m not much of a drinker, so I haven’t spent much time thinking about how Indiana’s alcohol laws personally impact me, but that changed last fall when my daughter got married.
-
RESTAURANT INSPECTIONS: April 29-May 3
April 29-May 3:
Garfield's Restaurant & Pub, 3401 S. U.S. 41, Ste D-7 (4 Critical, 2 Non-Critical) Grilled chicken found at 130 degrees -
For Piper: Annual ‘Rush the Punter’ event dedicated to Dixie Bee student who died Wednesday after a short illness
Steve Weatherford’s “Rush the Punter” fundraiser at Fairbanks Park on Saturday was dedicated to a little girl who lost her life unexpectedly to pneumonia.
-
Vigo schools prepare to tighten belts
State funding for the Vigo County School Corp. will remain “pretty flat” for the next two years, said Donna Wilson, chief financial officer.
-
Veterans take to the trees
Cristal Bednar took photos of her husband, Justin, as he laboriously climbed his way up a “Dangle-Duo” to get to a zipline at Indiana State University’s Sycamore Outdoor Center.
-
Property owner seeks halt to Hulman Lake dam project
A Terre Haute property owner is seeking an injunction that would at least temporarily halt the city’s work on the Hulman Lake dam project.
-
Tornado veterans balance preparedness, practicality
Few things in nature are less predictable than a tornado. They can form quickly. They strike weirdly, leveling one building while leaving its neighbor untouched. They can fling a car a half-mile and turn a piece of lumber into a wall-piercing missile.
-
ISU unveils interactive Bayh Family Legacy Wall at school
A who’s who of Indiana Democrats paid tribute to Evan Bayh and several generations of the Bayh family Friday during a dedication of a new interactive display at Indiana State University.
-
Can you smell me now?
A contraband cell phone has been discovered by the Vigo County Jail’s youngest and most unique officer.
-
GIVING BACK: Steve Weatherford buys shoes for kids day before charity run
Terre Haute’s Steve Weatherford, punter for the 2012 Super Bowl champion New York Giants, showed once again his generosity Friday by donating new athletic shoes to more than two dozen Vigo County kids.
-
N.Y. Giants honor Weatherford as ‘Man of the Year’
Dan Tanoos, superintendent of Vigo County schools, remembers the first time he saw Steve Weatherford as a freshman at Terre Haute North Vigo High School.
-
Sunday recital at The Woods
A recital featuring songs from well-known composers is at 7 p.m. Sunday in the Church of the Immaculate Conception at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.
-
Police investigating rash of car window shootings
Terre Haute Police are investigating a rash of shootings that have shattered car windows throughout the city.
-
City hospitals get passing grades for patient safety
Two Terre Haute hospitals have been ranked for patient safety by an independent organization that assesses safety, quality and affordability of healthcare for Americans.
-
Three from Operation Turn and Burn sentenced in federal court
Three co-conspirators in a Wabash Valley methamphetamine trafficking ring were sentenced this week to several years in federal prison.
-
Illinois Senate approves medical marijuana bill
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn must decide if he will sign a measure allowing the use of marijuana for medical purposes after the state Senate approved legislation today.
-
Vigo County Jail Log: May 17, 2013
The following individuals were booked into the Vigo County Jail by area law enforcement on Thursday, based on jail records.
-
I-70 resurfacing project will close westbound exit ramp
PUTNAM COUNTY, Ind. – The Indiana Department of Transportation announces the resurfacing project on Interstate 70 will close the westbound exit ramp at Indiana 243 beginning Wednesday May, 22 at about 6 a.m. until 9 p.m. that same day to mill and resurface the ramp.
-
UPDATE: Fire damages buildings in downtown Greencastle
GREENCASTLE, Ind. — Fire badly damaged several buildings today near the courthouse square in Greencastle, with flames shooting through the roofs as firefighters from several communities were called in to the central Indiana city to help.
-
Get outside this Memorial Day weekend
Although DNR campgrounds and cabins at state parks, state reservoirs and recreation areas are booked to capacity for Memorial Day weekend, some shelters remain available for picnics and other day-use gatherings.
-
Skateboarders, BMX bike riders working to improve area of city park they use
The sound of small wheels rolling across smooth concrete fills the air, accented by the clacking noise of a wooden skateboard coming to an instant stop on a metal edge before rolling on again.
-
Indiana State to host 2014 MVC baseball tourney
Build it… and they will come. The Missouri Valley Conference and Indiana State University made that famous line from the movie “Fields Of Dreams” reality Thursday.
-
Overlay recommended for 812 area code
The state agency that represents Hoosier utility customers is calling for a ten-digit solution to southern Indiana’s vanishing supply of 812 area code telephone numbers.
-
Elementary school saddened by student’s death
A 9-year-old Dixie Bee Elementary student died unexpectedly Wednesday evening as the result of pneumonia, said Vigo County Coroner Susan Amos on Thursday.
-
Vermillion CSX crossings undergoing maintenance
CSX maintenance crews are working on railroad crossings between Dana and Chrisman, Ill. this week and next, a CSX official said Thursday.
-
Beware of scams everywhere
Ever get a phone call in the middle of the night from a person claiming to be your grandchild, who unfortunately has been jailed in Canada and needs bail money?
-
INDOT to start work on Indiana 163 in Vermillion County
Maintenance crews will begin a pavement preservation project Monday on Indiana 163, between Indiana 63 and the Illinois state line west of Clinton.
- More Local & Bistate Headlines
-
Raw: Tornadoes Spotted in Kansas
Probe Begins After Conn. Commuter Trains Crash
Obama Exhorts Good Deeds by Morehouse Graduates
NTSB Begins Investigation Into Conn. Train Crash
Winning Powerball Ticket Sold in Florida
Coffee Run Leads to Hatchet Hitchhiker Arrest
Lotto Fever Sweeps the Country
AP CEO: Records Seizure 'Unconstitutional'
Conn. Commuter Trains Collide; 60 Go to Hospital
CDC: Fecal Bacteria Common in Swimming Pools
Fmr. IRS Head Insists No Politics in Targeting
Today in History for May 19th
Raw: Heavy Tornado Damage in Shawnee, Okla
Raw: Texas Gov. Flies Over Tornado Damage
NM Mom Chases Down Child Abductor
$1 Million in Jewels Stolen at Cannes Film Fest
One Million Evacuated As Cyclone Hits Bangladesh
Raw: Driver Ejected From Truck, Over Bridge
Raw: Germany Protestors Picket Barbie House
Raw: Gun Scare Mars Cannes Film Festival
Twiggy, the Water Skiing Squirrel
Sailor Surprises His Mom At Her CU Denver Graduation Ceremony
Official: ‘Amazing’ No One Was Killed In CT Train Crash
Coffee Stop Leads To Arrest Of YouTube Sensation Wanted For Murder
Bearded Dragon Reunited With Owner
Marine Reunited with Warzone Companion
Raw: Crash Sends Car Into Fla. Pool
Beyonce Is Pregnant!
SF baseball player overpaid $500,000 RETURNS money -- and team says KEEP IT
Dad returns from Afghanistan, surprises family during Rays' first pitch
See Jennifer Lopez's New $10m Hamptons Mansion
Woman tricked into taking abortion pill
Emma Watson Goes Pantless
IRS scandal: Republicans seek to tie Obama to agency's woes
Play of the Day: Flipping to Safety
Pregnant Kim Kardashian Squeezes Her Swollen Feet Into Stilettos
Top Videos of the Week: Angry Taco Bell Guy, Glacier Moves on House, Dog Hates Baths
