ELKHART COUNTY, Ind. — A northern Indiana county clerk and his chief deputy clerk were indicted by a grand jury on Tuesday following an investigation into official misconduct and criminal conversation.

According to a release from the Elkhart County Prosecutor's Office , on Sept. 2 an Elkhart County grand jury heard evidence regarding allegations that Elkhart County Clerk Christopher Anderson and Chief Deputy Clerk Carol Smith approved the expenditure of public funds without proper authorization.

Court documents say in September 2024, the Elkhart County Sheriff's Office and the Indiana State Board of Accounts were notified that certain clerk employees were allegedly receiving payments for hours that they did not actually work and that this had allegedly been going on for "several years."

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