INDIANAPOLIS (July 6, 2016) – Daviess County Prosecutor Daniel S. Murrie is the new chairman of the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council (IPAC) Board of Directors. He was elected to the post during the recent IPAC 2016 Summer Conference in Lawrenceburg.

In assuming the IPAC leadership role, Murrie said, “IPAC assists prosecuting attorneys by preparing manuals, providing legal research, and conducting training seminars. Everything we work on helps to make our judicial system more efficient for everyone. I’m really looking forward to working with the 90 other prosecutors in this state, along with our Legislature, to make Indiana a leader in its common sense approach to public safety.”

Murrie is serving his second term as Daviess County Prosecutor. He served two terms as chief deputy prosecutor and has been the office’s lead trial counsel since 2002.

Vice chairman of the board is now Washington County Prosecutor Dustin Houchin. Secretary/Treasurer of the IPAC Board is St. Joseph County Prosecutor Kenneth Cotter. At-Large Executive Committee member is Todd Meyer, Boone County Prosecutor. William C. Hartley Jr., Wabash County Prosecutor, is the outgoing IPAC Board Chairman.

The 3-day summer conference for elected prosecuting attorneys and their deputies featured specialized training in corrupt business influence cases, trial discovery, Indiana criminal code reform, the impact of legalizing marijuana in Colorado, reducing recidivism, e-filing implementation, arson investigations and the Indiana Recovery Works program.

The prosecutors also heard from the office of the Indiana Attorney General. About 150 Indiana prosecuting attorneys and their deputies attended the event.

Elected to one-year terms to the IPAC board of directors were Vermillion County Prosecutor Bruce Aukerman, Marion County Prosecutor Terry R. Curry and Cass County Prosecutor Lisa Swaim. Two-year board members elected were Delaware County Prosecutor Jeffrey Arnold, Monroe County Prosecutor Christopher G. Gaal, Wabash County Prosecutor William C. Hartley Jr. and Dubois County Prosecutor Anthony Quinn.

The Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday that an unlicensed social worker who provided services to the victim of a man accused of molestation is not protected under the counselor/client privilege in I.C. 25-23.6-6.1. As a result, the woman must answer four questions her attorney previously advised her not to answer.

James Rogers faces several charges of felony child molesting, intimidation, child solicitation and battery resulting in bodily injury after his then 8-year-old niece accused him of molesting her while she was at a sleepover at his home. Rogers deposed Amy Wallace, who provided social services support to victim B.L. and her family. Wallace worked for Shepherd Community Center, which partnered with Horizon Christian School, where B.L. was a student at some point prior to the allegations. Rogers’ attorney learned there had been Department of Child Services reports filed against B.L. or her family and there were concerns B.L.’s mother had been prostituting her in return for drugs.

While deposing Wallace, Rogers’ counsel asked her four questions that her attorney told her not to answer: Did your counseling relationship with B.L. and her family involve anything other than [Mother’s] injury? What did [Shepherd pastor and CEO Rev.] Jay Height tell you that he heard about any sexual or otherwise inappropriate behavior between B.L. and other children? What conversations did you have with other staff members at Horizon Christian School regarding their or your concerns about B.L.’s behavior prior to your employment at Shepherd that were related to previous [DCS] reports? Provide the names of parents who filed [DCS] reports on B.L. and/or her parents or siblings.

The attorney invoked counselor/client privilege, as found in I.C. 25-23.6-6-1. Rogers filed a motion to compel, which was denied, leading to this interlocutory appeal.

Rogers argued that because Wallace is not a licensed social worker, the statute that lists the applicable professions does not apply to her. Wallace does have a degree in social work. Rogers maintained that the phrase at the end of the statute, “who is licensed under this article,” requires her to be licensed. The state argued that the ending phrase only modifies clinical addiction counselor, since there is no comma before the word “who.”

“Although it was permissible for Wallace, in her role as Family Ministries Team Leader at Shepherd, to provide social services work to individuals and their families, this ability to provide services does not mandate a finding that her communications are privileged under the counselor/client privilege found in Indiana Code section 25-23.6-6-1,” Judge James Kirsch wrote. “Rather, we find that the legislative history of the term ‘counselor’ reveals that, for purposes of the counselor-client privilege, the Legislature intended only licensed social workers to be covered by that privilege. Related statutes support this determination, as well as the principles that evidentiary privileges such as the counselor/client privilege must be strictly construed and that, in criminal cases, ambiguous statutes should be construed in favor of a defendant. We thus conclude that a social worker must be licensed in order to fall within the scope of the counselor/client privilege found in Indiana Code section 25-23.6-6-1.”

The case, James E. Rogers v. State of Indiana, 49A02-1508-CR-1033, is remanded for further proceedings.

Indianapolis – Two technology companies, Brite Systems and Site Strategics, announced plans today to expand their operations here, together creating up to 77 new high-wage jobs over the next few years and continuing a trend of tech growth in Indiana.
“Indiana has built one of the strongest environments in the nation for job creation, which is supporting today’s exciting growth in the tech industry,” said Governor Mike Pence. “Compared to other tech hubs around the country, Indiana provides an affordable, fiscally-predictable and limited-regulation business climate. Innovators, entrepreneurs and job creators like Brite Systems and Site Strategics continue to choose Indiana for growth, helping our state create more than 147,000 new Hoosier jobs in just the last three and half years.”

Brite Systems, an information technology (IT) services company specializing in consulting and software development, will invest $128,000 to grow its employee base and its office at 101 W. Ohio St. in downtown Indianapolis. Founded in 2006, the minority-owned business works to resolve client issues, which range from small business IT needs to large institutions that operate many software applications. Brite Systems’ expansion plans will allow the company to meet the demands of its growing number of clients throughout the nation.

“We are thrilled to be part of this thriving and vibrant community of Indianapolis and proud to call ourselves a homegrown Hoosier company,” said Jay Fernando, chief executive officer of Brite Systems. “The state of Indiana’s world-class universities and knowledge base fulfills our ever-growing need to hire and retain top-notch technology professionals. Our future expansion plans will always be centered right here in central Indiana.”

Brite Systems currently employs 34 Hoosiers. As part of its rapid growth, the company plans to create up to 52 new jobs by 2021, with positions expected to pay more than 50 percent higher than the state average wage. The company plans to begin hiring this month, adding positions in sales, marketing, project management, software architecture, software development and business analytics. Interested applications may apply by emailing resumes to jobs@britesys.com.

Site Strategics, a digital marketing services company, will invest $544,000 to lease a new 5,400-square-foot headquarters facility at 1317 N. Pennsylvania St. in Indianapolis. With construction scheduled to be complete later this month, Site Strategics has outgrown its current 1,900-square-foot facility in Southport, which opened in 2009 following five years at an office in Zionsville. The new space will be optimized for team collaboration and creativity, as well as facilities to host clients and business partners. Additionally, the company’s office will feature a state-of-the-art podcasting facility for its Edge of the Web podcast, a four-year-old program discussing digital marketing tactics and interviews with national marketing leaders. Site Strategics currently serves more than 35 clients across the country, adding 10 within the last six months, and is generating 45 percent growth on average each quarter.

“This is an exciting time. We’ve honed a good engine here, and we know what works,” said Erin Sparks, owner of Site Strategics. “I’m delighted that we can grow this business here in Indiana where cooperation between the business sector, our government and the nonprofit community is so healthy.”

Site Strategics currently employs 10 Hoosiers. As part of its projected growth, the company plans to create up to 25 new jobs by 2020 with average wages expected to be nearly 40 percent higher than the state average wage. Site Strategics is currently hiring for web and business development positions. Interested applicants may apply online at www.sitestrategics.com/jobs.

According to real estate firm CBRE Research, the Indianapolis area added more than 3,000 high-tech jobs from 2012 to 2014, growing at a rate of 18 percent and exceeding the national average of 5.7 percent. That job creation continues with growth at Brite Systems and Site Strategics, as well as news in May that Salesforce, one of the world’s fastest growing software companies, is adding an additional 800 new Hoosier jobs in the coming years. Just last month technology companies Torchlite, Determine and Sigstr each announced that they’re growing in central Indiana, together adding an additional 275 new jobs for Hoosiers.

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) offered Brite Systems Inc. up to $565,000 in conditional tax credits based on the company’s creation plans. In addition, Site Strategics was offered up to $230,000 in conditional tax credits based on its creation plans. These incentives are performance based, meaning until Hoosiers are hired, the company is not eligible to claim incentives. The city of Indianapolis supports expansion plans for Brite Systems and Site Strategics in partnership with Develop Indy, a business unit of the Indy Chamber.