LOUISVILLE, Ky. — State Rep. Wendy Dant Chesser, D-Jeffersonville, has been running an attack ad against her Republican challenger Scott Hawkins. Dant Chesser alleges disgraced sheriff Jamey Noel donated stolen money to Hawkins, and then Hawkins failed to give it back.
The two are competing for Indiana House District 71, which encompasses Jeffersonville. Dant Chesser is the incumbent, despite having yet served in a legislative session. Democrat Rita Fleming, who had held the seat since 2019, retired suddenly in May 2024; Dant Chesser was caucused-in to replace her on June 4.
Hawkins ran unsuccessfully for this seat in 2022. He has been a Jeffersonville City Councilor since 2016.
Question 1:
Did Jamey Noel donate stolen money to Scott Hawkins' campaign?
Sources:
- Indiana Secretary of State campaign finance website
- Indiana State Police Public Information Officer Capt. Ron Galaviz
Answer:
What we found:
According to campaign finance records, Jamey Noel donated a total of $1,500 to Hawkins' first attempt at running for House Dist. 71 between 2021 and 2022. The records do not say where the money came from.
In June, Indiana State Police (ISP) released a search warrant that said Jamey Noel donated a total of $33,000 from Utica Township Volunteer Firefighters Association bank accounts (UTVFFA) to a Republican fundraising website called "WinRed." The donations were between 2020 and 2023. The search warrant did not say which candidates the funds were ear-marked for.
This week, we asked ISP Capt. Ron Galaviz if they had information of Scott Hawkins receiving this money.
"There were no WinRed transactions made to that candidate, however one PayPal transaction was made using UTVFFA funds to that candidate," Galaviz said.
Question 2:
Did "local groups" say Hawkins was "Noel's selection" to run in 2022?
Sources:
- Citizens in Action Clark County, a social media group
Answer:
What we found:
Dant Chesser's ad cites a YouTube video from Citizens in Action Clark County to say that "local groups called Hawkins Noel's selection" to run in 2022. The video in question is a Dist. 71 Republican primary town hall from April 21, 2024. Jamey Noel is not mentioned once in the video, but the poster of the video said in the description, "Hawkins was Noel's selection to run in the 2022 State House race."
While this is technically a "local group calling Hawkins Noel's selection," it should be noted that this is a social media group with 1,200 members and not an official source for information in the Jamey Noel case.
No evidence has came out in search warrants to suggest that Hawkins and Noel were close friends, or that Noel encouraged Hawkins to run. There is no further information in the YouTube video description about the poster calling him "Noel's selection."
"As an elected official, I’ve built public trust by being open, honest and accessible to constituents. I have nothing to hide. Jamey Noel contributed to my 2022 campaign when he was our county party chair and a countywide elected official. Beyond this, my contact with Mr. Noel was very limited. He certainly did not recruit me to run for office," Hawkins said over email.
Question 3:
After Jamey Noel pleaded guilty, did Scott Hawkins keep the stolen campaign funds?
Sources:
- Indiana Secretary of State campaign filings
- Scott Hawkins, Republican running for Dist. 71.
Answer:
What we found:
According to online records, Hawkins did not return any campaign funds in 2021 or 2022.
Noel did not donate to Hawkins past 2022. Jamey Noel was arrested in November 2023, and pleaded guilty in August 2024. The only way Hawkins could have "given back" this money would be to return $1,500 from a campaign that was already over.
"His pleading guilty to charges came nearly 3 years after contribution and nearly 2 years after that campaign ended. So no, those contributions, to a campaign that had been over for more than a year, were not returned. His contribution to my 2022 general election amounted to approximately .002 of the amount spent on the campaign. Additionally, I have received no contributions from Mr. Noel for this current (2024) campaign," Hawkins said over email.
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