PUBLIC SAFETY

Indiana judge suspended following battery charges

Holly V. Hays
holly.hays@indystar.com
Gavel

The Indiana Supreme Court has suspended a Jay County judge as he faces felony battery charges.

Judge Tommy Phillips II of the Dunkirk City Court was charged Thursday with one count of battery against a public safety official, a Level 6 Felony, according to court documents.

The charge is related to an incident that occurred Aug. 16 during a meeting involving Phillips, Dunkirk Mayor Gene Ritter and Police Chief Dane Mumbower.

The meeting was called by Ritter to discuss conflict between Phillips and the police department and to attempt to resolve the issues, according to the documents.

At the beginning of the meeting, which took place at the Dunkirk Police Department, Phillips seemed to be agitated and was argumentative, Mumbower told investigators.

Phillips, who is Mumbower's uncle, then told him that they had severed family ties. As Mumbower attempted to leave the meeting, Phillips "charged" him, prosecutors say, pushing him in the chest with both hands and knocking him off balance. Mumbower told investigators he experienced back pain as a result of the altercation.

Phillips has not been arrested but has been summoned to court, according to special prosecutor Jeremy Brown's office.

Phillips will be suspended with pay until the state's Supreme Court orders otherwise or once disciplinary proceedings, if any, are determined as a result of the criminal charges, according to a news release. Phillips has been the Dunkirk City Judge since October 2000.

Dunkirk, a city in Blackford and Jay counties near the Indiana-Ohio state line, has a population of 2,362, according to the 2010 census. The police department has five officers, including the chief.

Call IndyStar reporter Holly Hays at (317) 444-6156. Follow her on Twitter: @hollyvhays.