Braun "not there" on replacing Marion County prosecutor
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios
Despite recent criticism of Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears, Gov. Mike Braun says he has no plans to appoint a special prosecutor.
Why it matters: It would take legislative action to enable Braun to replace Mears, but the governor seems to have softened his stance on Mears ever so slightly after placing the blame for recent violence squarely at the prosecutor's office door.
- "I don't think we're there," Braun told reporters last week about pursuing legislative action to replace Mears. "I think that there's going to be enough proactiveness; I'm hoping."
Catch up quick: Mears was elected prosecutor by the Marion County Democratic Party in a 2019 caucus to replace Terry Curry, who resigned for health reasons.
- Immediately, Mears ruffled conservatives by announcing he would stop prosecuting low-level marijuana possession charges.
- That sparked talk among Republicans of "noncompliant" prosecutors.
Yes, but: Mears was re-elected in the 2022 general election.
Between the lines: IMPD called in the State Police for help over the violent July 4th weekend in Indy.
- Braun blamed the violence on Mears and Mayor Joe Hogsett and said on July 16 that holding "noncompliant prosecutors accountable" was the next step in his public safety legislative agenda.
Reality check: Mears told reporters after a hearing two days later that he'd never had a conversation with Braun.
What they're saying: "I'm hoping the cue is being taken by the folks within the jurisdiction that [they] should be doing it to where they don't need state help," Braun told reporters last week. "But we're not going to just stand by idly and do nothing if things don't get measurably better."
The other side: "The Marion County Prosecutor's Office continues to perform at the highest level," Michael Leffler, spokesperson for the office, told Axios in an email. "The office prosecuted nearly 19,000 criminal cases last year. In 2024, we took 247 cases to trial, which constitutes approximately 25% of all criminal trials in the entire state of Indiana, while maintaining a 94% conviction rate for murder trials, 84% for sex crimes, 83% for attempted murder, and 88% for gun cases."
- "The top five most tried cases in Marion County last year were murder, battery, domestic battery, child molesting and possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon. We will continue to be a leader in taking crimes of violence, especially the most serious offenses, to trial."