Former Clark County Council member John Miller was charged last year with a level 6 felony for conflict of interest. In court Monday, his attorney Bart Betteau argued why his case should be dismissed. Miller's legal team also asked for a change of judge, which was denied. (Aprile Rickert / LPM)The Indiana Supreme Court issued an order Tuesday saying it would not consider former Clark County Council member John Miller’s case.He was charged in 2024 with a level 6 felony for conflict of interest, after investigators say he accepted gifts from Jamey Noel, the former Clark County sheriff and emergency services provider now serving around a decade in prison.Miller is accused of letting Noel pay for gifts such as travel, meals and tickets to events. Prosecutors say he also voted to appropriate county funds to New Chapel EMS, which Noel operated.The charge states Miller had a financial interest in or derived profit from the contract. It says he voted to fund it and that he also “derived benefits of value from Noel/New Chapel.”Miller’s legal team has argued that the facts the state alleges don’t meet the requirements for the charge, saying that “‘benefits of value’ received ‘indirectly’ from a contract does not constitute an offense.”“This case presents a textbook miscarriage of justice,” his attorneys wrote in a December brief in support of the petition to transfer. “Miller has been charged with a felony under a statute that, as written, does not criminalize the conduct alleged.”They also say that “when alleged facts do not meet statutory definitions, dismissal is not discretionary; it is required.”Miller’s attorneys did not respond immediately to a request for comment Wednesday morning.They previously moved to dismiss the charge in state court, which was denied by Judge Larry Medlock, who’s presided over multiple cases in the investigation. Medlock also declined Miller a new judge when he accused him of bias.The Indiana Court of Appeals upheld that decision.Of the six people charged as a result of the investigation, Miller’s case is the only one that remains open.Noel pleaded guilty in 2024 to more than two dozen felonies, including stealing from New Chapel, the ambulance service that had public contracts in Clark and Floyd counties. The Indiana Department of Correction shows his earliest possible release date in June 2033.Noel’s ex-wife Misty pleaded guilty last year to theft and tax evasion for charging personal items and services to a card belonging to New Chapel while they were married. She could be released as soon as this April.Kasey Noel, their daughter, pleaded guilty last year to similar charges and has already served her jail time.Former Clark County Council member Brittney Ferree was sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to conflict of interest last year.Kenny Hughbanks, a former Scott County sheriff, was charged with tax evasion after investigators found evidence of it while investigating Noel.He pleaded guilty in late 2025 and was sentenced to probation.Online court records show Miller’s trial is scheduled for April 13.Coverage of Southern Indiana is funded, in part, by Samtec Inc., the Hazel Walter T. Bales Foundation, and the Caesars Foundation of Floyd County. ...read more read less