Anderson, Indiana – According to the Madison County Prosecutor’s Office, Judge Mark Dudley fined Curtina Johnson, a former deputy county clerk, $10,000 plus 8% interest on Friday for disclosing information about the presence of a search warrant before it was made public.
The Access to Court Records Rules of Indiana required that the information be kept confidential, therefore the Indiana State Police and FBI looked into how it was disclosed.
Investigation results showed that Johnson, who was aware that her daughter knew the subject of interest, was the source of the leak. The Madison County Prosecutors Office claims that Johnson informed her daughter that a search warrant would soon be executed. Keep clear of him. The target was then promptly informed about the search warrant by Johnson’s daughter.
After the investigation was over, Johnson was fired by Madison County Clerk Linda Smith.
“Regardless of her motivation for leaking the information, Johnson’s actions put law enforcement in danger,” said Chief Deputy Prosecutor Andre Hanna. “We take the safety of law enforcement very seriously and we will hold anyone accountable who jeopardizes that.”
The incident occurred in August 2021, when Judge David Happe approved a search warrant request from the Anderson property sought by the Hamilton County Drug Task Force. Yet, law enforcement discovered that the subject of the inquiry was aware of the search warrant’s existence before it was actually executed. Law enforcement refused to execute the search warrant at that time due to safety concerns.
The target’s residence was later the subject of a second search warrant, and he was subsequently charged in federal court with many felonies, including felons in possession of a firearm and possession with intent to distribute various narcotics.
