Former Indiana state school superintendent Tony Bennett will not be charged in Marion County for any ethical violations that occurred while he was in office. Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry says despite rumors to the contrary, all allegations against Bennett have already been addressed by the State Ethics Commission.
Former Indiana State Inspector General David Thomas investigated Bennett’s administration in 2013, after the Associated Press published emails revealing that Bennett used state resources for his failed 2012 reelection campaign.
The emails also implicated Bennett in the possible manipulation of the state’s school grading system to benefit a school run by Christel DeHaan, who’d given money to Bennett and other Republican office-seekers. The state fined Bennett $5,000 for his unethical campaigning, but found no evidence Bennett or his staff had artificially inflated the grade of Christel House Academy. Curry says his investigation supports the state’s findings.
