CLARK COUNTY, Ind. — Family members of former Clark County Sheriff Jamey Noel are seeking to reopen his brother's estate, claiming Noel kept thousands of dollars for himself and his daughter instead of his brother's children.
The heirs of Leon Noel - Dorian, Taylor and Jack Noel - filed a petition in Clark County Friday to reopen their father's estate on the grounds Jamey Noel defrauded them out of a portion of their inheritance. The petition, filed by Amy R. Wheatley of Stein Law LLC, claims at least $52,000 never made its way to the heirs. Under Indiana law, the amount awarded in these cases can be up to three times the value of funds wrongfully taken.
“Dorian, Taylor and Jack trusted their uncle Jamey to take care of them and treat them fairly. Unfortunately, he did not do that,” Wheatley said. “Instead, he sought to wrongfully enrich himself and his daughter at the expense of his nephews and niece.”
In an interview with WHAS11 News, Wheatley said all three children received a contribution from the estate, but neither received the full sum they were entitled. The petition was filed on Leon's birthday.
Jamey Noel has been under investigation by Indiana State Police since last June. The investigation expanded in recent months to include his wife and daughter - Misty and Kasey Noel - and friend and associate Kenneth Hughbanks, who served as Scott County sheriff for a short time.
Jamey faces 25 felony charges and Misty faces 10. They pleaded not guilty.
Kasey Noel was arrested Friday. Hughbanks has not been charged.
In February, ISP Lt. Jeffrey Hearon, the lead investigator on the case, released court documents outlining Noel's actions as executioner of his brother's estate.
Hearon obtained tax, bank and property records for the home Kasey owns in Jeffersonville. A subpoena for mortgage records revealed the home was previously owned by William "Leon" Noel, Jamey's deceased brother and Kasey's uncle.
Leon died in December 2018 and Jamey was appointed executor of his estate, and his three children were listed as heirs.
The home was sold to Kasey in April 2019 for $180,000. As executor, Jamey gifted Kasey $36,000 of equity, according to court documents.
Wheatley believes the home was undervalued and could have sold at a higher price.
After the mortgage was paid, closing expenses were deducted and Kasey was gifted the $36,000, Hearon states a check for $25,545.78 was issued to the Estate of William Leon Noel and the check was deposited into a bank account controlled by Jamey.
Bank statements and canceled checks show Jamey used $8,000 from the estate account to pay a construction company for work on another home Leon owned for the purpose of flipping. There were also two other payments of $8,232.30 linked to the UTVFA American Express account used for basement work on the other home.
According to court documents, Jamey wrote himself a check for $16,000 for basement reimbursement, however he did not provide any personal payment. He instead charged the UTVFA for the basement payments and profited $16,000.
Noel case background
Jamel Noel is facing 25 felony charges, including counts of theft, tax evasion, corrupt business practices, ghost employment and official misconduct. The ISP investigation began in June 2023 following allegations that Noel directed jail staff to work on his personal property and run his personal errands while on county time.
His wife Misty Noel is facing 10 felonies; five counts of theft and five counts of tax evasion. Both pleaded not guilty.
According to previous court documents, Hearon found millions of dollars of personal purchases made by each on Utica Township Volunteer Firefighter Association credit cards. He also stated they failed to disclose income on their taxes over a five-year span.
Documents show daughter Kasey Noel spent over $100,000 on personal items and services. She was arrested and charged March 8.
The investigation also uncovered Jamey fathered a child with former Clark County Councilwoman Brittney Ferree and paid child support payments with UTVFA funds.
Jamey Noel's vast automobile collection has been under scrutiny by investigators since the beginning of the investigation.
According to court documents, 133 vehicles are registered to the Utica Township Volunteer Fire Department and New Chapel EMS. A review of those vehicles showed several were "inconsistent" with a not-for-profit fire department and EMS business.
Jamey is accused of orchestrating a vehicle trading and selling scheme where he traded in several cars registered to the UTVFA for vehicles he then registered to himself for personal use. In some cases, he sold them and pocketed the money.
Court documents released in early March indicated 26 containers of military surplus equipment belonging to the Clark County Sheriff's Office were found on a property in Deputy, Indiana. Hearon alleged Noel sold multiple items belonging to the sheriff's office and sold them for personal gain.