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BY THE NUMBERS: How Lawrence County Safely Cut Its Jail Population in Half (And Saved Taxpayers Millions)
When folks look at the local justice system, the focus is almost always on the initial arrest. But there is a massive, quieter story unfolding right across from the Square—one that involves millions of your tax dollars, court efficiency, and the literal structural safety of our community. If you’ve been paying attention to the daily logs over the last few years, you might have noticed a staggering trend: the headcount inside the Lawrence County Jail has plummeted.
APPELLATE COURT REVERSES LAWRENCE COUNTY MURDER PCR RULING, ORDERS NEW HEARING CITING JUDICIAL BIAS
BEDFORD, IN — In a major legal development, the Court of Appeals of Indiana has reversed a local court's ruling and ordered a completely new post-conviction relief (PCR) hearing for Evan J. Schaffer. Schaffer was convicted in 2018 for the 2017 murder of Justin Lampkins at a Bedford McDonald's drive-through. The appellate court ruled on May 14, 2026, that Lawrence Superior Court Judge John M. Plummer III failed to maintain judicial impartiality during the PCR proceedings, effectively abandoning