LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The former Clark County sheriff facing 15 felony charges is no longer running the non-profit organization at the center of the investigation into his conduct.
Jamey Noel was placed on administrative leave from the Utica Township Volunteer Firefighters Association in November, according to board member Matt Owen. Noel was permanently removed Jan. 12.
Owen said both decisions were made by the UTVFA board of directors.
Noel has been under investigation by Indiana State Police since June 2023 and was charged in November with 15 felonies, including counts of corrupt business practices, ghost employment, official misconduct, theft and tax evasion. He pleaded not guilty.
Earlier this week, new court documents revealed Noel racked up nearly $5 million in personal expenses on business credit cards connected to UTVFA. Lead investigator and ISP Lt. Jeffrey Hearon said in a probable cause statement the charges appeared "personal" in nature and included expenditures related to department stores, cigar stores, jewelry stores, seamstresses, home supply warehouse stores, ticketed events and travel agents.
More documents released this week showed Noel was found to have acted independently from the UTVFD board, and the board itself had not met in "several years" prior to August 2023.
Owen was one of several new board members appointed after August. He said the firefighters association is now doing its own internal review of the organization's finances and Noel's potential misuse of funds. A third-party auditor will be contracted, but Owen said that process is in the "early stages."
Paul Holcomb, Shannon Grant and Kevin Wilkerson are the other current board members.
Owen also clarified the UTVFA and New Chapel EMS are the same entity. Court documents listed Noel as the operator of both.
Documents released this week also said Noel's non-profit received at least $2 million in public funding.
The investigation into Noel started Hearon received information Noel was directing jail employees to work on his personal and rental properties, and run his personal errands while on the clock and being paid with county funds.
According to court documents, Hearon is also looking into Noel's massive car collection which contains 133 vehicles registered to UTVFA. A review of those vehicles showed several were "inconsistent" with a not-for-profit fire department and EMS business.
Among those 24 vehicles are several Cadillacs, Chevrolet Camaros and Chevrolet Corvettes.
In December, investigators accused Noel of unlawfully purchasing a Cessna airplane.
The investigation has since revealed Noel fathered a child with former Clark County Councilwoman Brittney Ferree and is accused of making child support payments with UTVFA funds.
Last week, the special prosecutor in the case said in open court the state is prepared to move forward with charges against Noel's wife, Misty Noel. Specific charges or a timeline for filing them were not discussed.
Jamey Noel is also the current chair for the Clark County GOP. An Indiana GOP spokesman has not responded to multiple questions this week regarding his status.
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