Three Indiana judges are facing disciplinary charges after a drunken night out ended with two of them being shot outside of a White Castle.
Judges Andrew Adams and Bradley Jacobs had been drinking in Indianapolis with Judge Sabrina Bell on the opening day of a judicial conference when the night took a turn for the worse.
The three had tried to go to a strip club but instead went to a White Castle because the club was closed. While standing outside the restaurant, two men in an SUV drove by and shouted something at the group, prompting Bell to flash her middle finger at the drivers.
The two men in the SUV, Brandon Kaiser and Alfredo Vasquez, then got in a verbal altercation with Adams and Jacobs before the two judges allegedly got into a physical exchange with the men.
Adams and Vasquez began hitting each other while Jacobs and Kaiser fought on the ground. At one point Jacobs was on top of Kaiser pinning him down, court documents allege.
During the fight, police say Kaiser shot Adams in the stomach and “went over to Judge Jacobs and Vazquez and fired two more shots at Judge Jacobs in the chest” before fleeing.
The two judges were hospitalized for days after the shooting, but both recovered.
Bell admitted to playing a role in prompting the bloody brawl, telling police, “I’m not denying that I said something or egged it on because I drink.”
“I mean I fully acknowledge that I drink and get mouthy, and I’m fiery and I’m feisty, but if I would have ever thought for a second that they were gonna fight or that that guy had a gun on him, I would never, never,” she added.
Adams told paramedics that he had drunk “a lot of Pabst Blue Ribbon” the night of the altercation.
Kaiser, 41, was arrested and faces felony battery charges among other crimes. He pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial. Vazquez also faces felony and misdemeanor charges.
Adams pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor battery charge and was sentenced to a one-year suspended sentence. The Indiana Supreme Court also suspended him with pay after his indictment.
Jacobs wasn’t charged for the incident and returned to his role as a judge in Clark County.
Judicial officials slapped all three judges with misconduct charges. Jacobs and Bell were charged with two counts and Adams was given three.
The judges have 20 days to answer the charges. The Indiana Supreme Court has the say in whether misconduct occurred and what sanctions, if any, the three will be given over the drunken night.
