Only in liberal politics could such a thing be possible. East Chicago 3rd District (Indiana) Councilman Robert “Coop” Battle was arrested in Porter County, Indiana for possession of 73 pounds of marijuana and a $100,000 in cash. He is now sitting in jail after being arrested for the Oct 12th killing of Reimundo Camarillo Jr. Normally, this is the kind of problem that can kill (No pun intended) a political career….except in the democratic party. Battle won reelection. I wonder what his campaign motto was. ( “Innocent Until proven Guilty”?)
Since Battle’s district is so massively democratically, no one filed to run as a republican and subsequently, Battle won in a landslide. The arrest for murder came after the filing date. Battle is resisting calls for his resignation, even though he is being held without bond. Bail is almost never set in felony murder arrests, therefore, he cannot serve his constituents and they have no say in city government. Battle’s lawyer says that Battle plans to retain his council seat, should he be acquitted.
“He is presumed innocent until he is proven guilty. If he is acquitted, he’ll keep his job.”
Because it could take years to sort out his legal troubles, Battle will continue to collect his $42,356 dollars a year salary until he resigns or until next election. (Assuming he won’t win reelection again) The judge in the case has granted law enforcement’s request for a DNA sample. They want to compare it to the DNA found at the scene of the murder. In January, he was sworn back into office from his jail cell.