NEW ALBANY, Ind. — Heather Peters, the chair of the Floyd County Republican Party, is stepping down effective June 1. Peters made the announcement Wednesday night during a private meeting of the Floyd County Republicans.
Peters is the current lawyer for Utica Township Volunteer Firefighters Association and New Chapel EMS, which former Clark County Sheriff Jamey Noel ran for many years. Noel is facing 25 felonies and is accused of stealing millions of dollars, much of it tax dollars, from the nonprofit EMS entities.
"Initially, my concerns were just the optics as far as the storylines that were taking place in our county," Dee Roney, the Georgetown Township Trustee, said.
RELATED: Indiana State Police: Jamey Noel and family spent $300,000 on vacations using fire department funds
Roney started gathering signatures in late March from fellow Republicans and precinct captains to consider a change in leadership. He said the petition was widely received, but it ended up not being necessary.
During a party meeting Wednesday night, which was not open to the public, Roney said nearly 30 people spoke about Peters' and by proxy the party's perceived connection to Jamey Noel, and she announced she would be stepping down.
"Heather heard that message, and she got out ahead of that. It was really --the signature list wasn't even needed. She called for the meeting, and it was the right thing to do," Roney said.
FOCUS reached out to Peters over email Thursday and asked why she resigned.
"As I advised yesterday evening, I have had a lot on my plate the past several months. I have stayed over the last several months to get through our Lincoln Day event this evening and the primary election. I set my resignation for a future date so that I can work alongside party leaders in the coming months to ensure a smooth transition," Peters wrote.
While she did represent UTVFA and New Chapel while Noel was still in power for several months, Peters is now suing against Noel on behalf of UTVFA to try and get him to stop using their company credit cards.
FOCUS previously reached out to Peters' lawyer and Floyd County Republican Party spokesperson S. Coy Travis about her perceived connections to Noel.
"Mr. Noel and our current party chair, Heather Peters, were close friends. However, Mrs. Peters is more than capable of thinking for herself and making her own decisions. Mr. Noel did not have any undue influence over her, and it is insulting to Mrs. Peters and the Republican Party to see the repeated implications (or, in some instances, outright statements) that she could not act without some influence from Mr. Noel," Travis wrote over email on March 12.
Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.