I found this article from last year by Tim Spears, ABC57 NightTeam anchor and investigative reporter.
Elkhart Common Council split on whether to investigate officers involved in wrongful convictions
By: Tim Spears Facebook | Twitter
Posted: Jun 16, 2022 6:40 PM EST
[snips, much more at the link]
Former Elkhart police lieutenant,
Carl Conway,
was shown to have lied under oath and coerced a false confession in a 2003 murder case that sent Andrew Royer to prison.
...
Then there's Steve Rezutko, who ABC57 featured in its
investigation into The Wolverines; a group of cops accused of targeting people in of color in Southcentral Elkhart. Rezutko wrongfully implicated
Keith Cooper and Chris Parish in a 1996 armed robbery, which led to two multi-million dollar payouts.
...
Chief Seymore, Mayor Rod Roberson, and Elkhart County Prosecutor Vicki Becker have told ABC57 they don't believe past investigations involving these officers should be reviewed.
The Elkhart Common Council is split on whether the city should have an independent third party review cases involving former officers of the Elkhart Police Department implicated in past misconduct and wrongful convictions
www.abc57.com
******************************
Then, I found this article posted by Tim Spears on his FB 4 days ago; he wrote it a couple of days before the one I posted above. He takes us back to the years of the Wolverines, a rogue group of cops within the Elkhart Police Dept.
Attorney Elliot Slosar thinks there could be as many as a dozen cases filed to overturn potential wrongful convictions.
Elkhart Police Saga: The Wolverines
By: Tim Spears Facebook | Twitter
Posted: Jun 14, 2022 1:10 AM EST
[snips, more at the link]
When
Keith Cooper accepted a settlement from the City of Elkhart for his wrongful conviction in a 1996 armed robbery and attempted murder, it was the largest wrongful conviction settlement in Indiana history according to the University of Michigan Law School’s National Registry of Exonerations.
***
Cooper’s attorneys believe the actions of The Wolverines now coming to light, may soon make Elkhart, per capita, the exoneration capital of the U.S.
...
In an ongoing legal fight to overturn the murder conviction of
Iris Seabolt, Slosar questioned former Elkhart Police Chief James J Ivory during a sworn deposition.
...
Cooper’s attorneys accused Rezutko of manipulating witnesses with suggestive lineups, withholding evidence which could have kept Cooper out of prison, and deliberately creating false evidence and witness statements.
...
The second suspect in the Cooper case,
Chris Parish, saw his attempted murder and robbery conviction overturned because of DNA evidence and new testimony, leading to a $4.9 million payout.
...
So what is being done today for people in prison now, put there by members of The Wolverines or other officers connected to known wrongful convictions? Nothing.
...
There are two pending federal civil rights lawsuits from overturned convictions that could lead to more settlements. There are three pending post-conviction cases that could lead to more exonerations.
...
For the first time, current and former Elkhart city officials discuss the rogue group of cops inside the Elkhart Police Department known as The Wolverines
abc57.com
order Opinion and Order Fri 04/21 4:33 PM
Kristine Phillips
