‘Political witch hunt’: Boone County delays vote on removing auditor

By KARA KENNEY
WISH-TV | wishv.com

The Boone County Auditor will keep her job, at least for now.

At a special meeting Monday, the Boone County Commissioners voted 3-0 to delay a vote on whether to proceed with removing county auditor Debbie Crum.

The decision to postpone a vote was greeted with groans from some citizens who attended the public meeting.

“I will make a motion to table this,” Commissioner Donnie Lawson said, which prompted audible criticism from the audience. “Can I speak? Or do you all just want to yell at me?”

The commissioners did not set another date to vote on the matter.

An internal investigation found Crum emailed the names and Social Security numbers of all 290 county employees to the Indiana Department of Child Services.

The data leak, which happened on June 30, prompted concern from many people in the Boone County community. Crum apologized, but county commissioners and council members are considering removing her from office.

On Oct. 6, commissioners and council members spent hours listening to both sides, including Crum herself, Crum’s attorney, and county attorney Beth Copeland.

On Oct. 26, the commissioners heard arguments from both Crum’s attorney, Ted Nolting, and county attorney Beth Copeland.

“Boone County appears to risk hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars on what amounts to a political witch hunt to remove an independently elected official,” Nolting said. “There’s still an opportunity to stop this before it becomes an even greater embarrassment to Boone County.”

County attorney Beth Copeland said Crum’s mistakes extend far beyond the data leak. During an hour-long presentation, Copeland alleged Crum repeatedly shared sensitive information over email.

Copeland also said Crum had a history of poor bookkeeping, payroll issues, paying invoices from incorrect funds, and failing to upload contracts to a transparency portal. She alleged these errors cost the county thousands of dollars.

Copeland said on Oct. 26 that Crum refuses to take accountability.

“This is the auditor’s go-to response anytime anyone identifies an issue with her work performance – it’s just not her fault,” Copeland said. “The release of Social Security numbers? Not her fault. Signing a contract without her authority? Not her fault.”

The Boone County Council did not vote Monday. If both the commissioners and council members approve removing Crum, it will head to a Boone County court.

“Vote yes on the resolution and let me present this case to a judge,” Copeland said on Monday.

Commissioners and council members have had several weeks since the Oct. 6 presentation to get answers to their questions, yet the commissioners delayed voting on whether to remove Crum.

“I’m just very disappointed that I have to continue this,” Crum said after the meeting.

“It seems political,” Crum’s attorney Ted Nolting said. “The election is coming up. I anticipate they will wait until after the election day to vote.”

Boone County council members Kevin Van Horn and council president Jennifer Hostetter are up for re-election on Nov. 3.

Indiana’s I-Team attempted to speak with Hostetter after the meeting, but she declined to comment. “I can’t say anything, sorry,” Hostetter said.

So Indiana’s I-Team asked Tim Beyer, president of the Boone County Commissioners to explain why the commissioners did not take a vote.

“People wanted more time to consider potential additional information,” Beyer said. “They still have questions. It’s a big decision.” Beyer declined to explain what additional information came to light.

“We will take a vote as soon as everybody is ready to take a vote,” Beyer said. Indiana’s I-Team asked Beyer if the delay has anything to do with the upcoming election.

“I don’t think so,” said Beyer. “I think it’s people wanting to do the right thing.”

Meanwhile, Debbie Crum says it is business as usual at the auditor’s office.

“My day hasn’t changed,” Crum said. “I still show up for work and still perform my duties, and my office performs the duties they’re required to every day.”

County attorney Beth Copeland also accused Crum of nepotism, claiming she hired and paid her daughter for county work in 2023 and 2024.

“This is a clear pattern of not just negligence, but almost a complete disregard for so many different processes,” Copeland said on Oct. 6. “The DCS issue is the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back.”

Crum admitted to hiring her daughter but said the work was brief and the pay was minimal.

The auditor said that while she made mistakes, she should not lose her job.

This story was originally published by WISH-TV at wishtv.com/news/political-witch-hunt-boone-county-delays-vote-on-removing-auditor.