A public reprimand has been imposed by the Indiana Supreme Court

At all relevant times, Respondent was the elected prosecutor for Floyd County. The charges in this disciplinary action trace their genesis to the prosecution of David Camm, a former police officer charged with murdering his wife and two minor children. Camm twice was convicted, but in each instance his convictions were reversed on appeal. Camm v. State, 812 N.E.2d 1127 (Ind. Ct. App. 2004), trans. denied; Camm v. State, 908 N.E.2d 215 (Ind. 2009) (“Camm II”). Camm ultimately was acquitted following a third trial in 2013. Respondent prosecuted the second trial, and he initially continued to represent the State during proceedings in advance of the third trial until his removal from the case due to the conflict of interest described below.

Days after the jury in the second trial returned a guilty verdict, Respondent – with the intent to write and publish a book about the Camm case – entered into an agreement with “Literary Agent.” Thereafter, Respondent continued to represent the State in post-trial proceedings in the trial court and assisted the Attorney General during appellate proceedings in Camm II. In early June 2009, while Camm II was pending before this Court, Respondent entered a publication agreement with “Publisher.” After we issued our decision reversing Camm’s convictions and remanding for a third trial, Respondent wrote to Literary Agent, expressing his belief that “this is now a bigger story” and asking Literary Agent to seek a “pushed back time frame” for publication and “to push for something more out of the contract.” However, Publisher instead elected to terminate the book contract.