LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Former Clark County Sheriff Jamey Noel's non-profit firefighter association didn't have a board meeting for years and he acted independently from its members, according to another new search warrant affidavit released Tuesday.
Noel has been under investigation by Indiana State Police since June 2023 and was charged in November with 15 felonies, including counts of corrupt business practices, ghost employment, official misconduct, theft and tax evasion. On Monday, documents from another search warrant affidavit revealed Noel charged nearly $5 million in personal expenses to business credit cards connected to the Utica Township Volunteer Firefighters Association, which Noel runs.
Documents released Tuesday also noted Noel's nonprofit organizations receive $2 million yearly in public funds.
The Utica Township Volunteer Fire Department and New Chapel EMS, where Noel is CEO, have come up several times throughout the investigation being led by ISP Lt. Jeffrey Hearon. Another component of the probe is Noel's vast automobile collection, which includes 133 vehicles registered to the Utica Township Fire Department and New Chapel EMS.
In previous court documents, Hearon stated several cars were "inconsistent" with a not-for-profit fire department and EMS business. Those include several Cadillacs, Chevrolet Camaros and Chevrolet Corvettes.
In Tuesday's documents, Hearon said he determined Noel is the CEO and CFO of New Chapel EMS and UTVFA, and the fire chief of the Utica Township Fire Department and New Chapel Fire Inc. Noel has been connected to the fire department since the 1990s and held various board and officer positions, and was responsible for a number of filings and reports required by the state.
Hearon said he contacted people listed under the UTVFA board of directors and determined prior to Aug. 16, 2023, there had not been a board meeting for "several years," and members indicated Noel acted independently "absent board participation."
After Aug. 16, according to court documents, several new board members were appointed. All of them work for one of the business entities associated with New Chapel or UTVFA.
The total annual income for the businesses and New Chapel Fire Inc. is estimated at $7-8 million, with $2 million coming from public funds. Noel and his affiliated companies received public funding from the Utica Township Fire District in Clark County and the New Albany Township Fire Protection District in Floyd County.
According to court documents, New Albany Township Fire District board CFO Erik Furnish said the 2022 contract was for $1.2 million. A separate contract between Floyd County and New Chapel EMS is for $220,000 annually and will end May 31.
The current agreement with Clark County pays New Chapel EMS $1,050,000 annually through 2025.
The WHAS11 FOCUS team called the Indiana state-wide Volunteer Firefighters Association Tuesday; the person who answered the phone said they have "no records" of anything, and that their only connection with member associations is receiving a yearly fee from them. An email to the INVFA president Jerry Liston still has not been returned.
Clark County Attorney Scott Lewis says there is a "Board of Trustees for the Utica Fire Protection District" that "administer(s) all the affairs of the Fire Protection District." But Lewis also said this board was not affiliated in any way with the Utica Township Volunteer Firefighters Association.
According to Indiana Gateway, Noel's organizations received the following amounts in 2022:
- New Albany Fire Protection District contract with New Chapel Vol. FD: $1,413,000.
- Floyd County Contract with New Chapel EMS: $220,000.
- Utica Twp. Fire Protection District contract with Utica Twp. VFD: $36,041.
- Clark County contract with New Chapel EMS: $1,050,000.
The investigation into Noel started when authorities believed Noel instructed Clark County jail employees to work on his personal and rental properties, and run errands for him while working on county time and being compensated with public funds.
Since his arrest, ISP uncovered child support payments former Clark County Councilwoman Brittney Furree, with whom he fathered a child, and investigated whether Noel unlawfully purchased a Cessna airplane.
Last week, the special prosecutor on the case said the state is prepared to move forward with charges against Misty Noel, Jamey's wife. Specific charges or a timeline for filing them was not discussed.
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