Indianapolis mayoral candidate seeks appeal in theft case
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A Republican candidate for mayor of Indianapolis wants a Hendricks County judge to rehear the theft charge against him.
John Couch faces a misdemeanor count of theft, accused of stealing metal from Basset Heating and Cooling in Plainfield.
According to a probable cause affidavit, a Plainfield police officer was sent to Basset where they discovered Couch with metal in his pick-up truck in January 2022.
The officer said he observed Couch trying to load a water heater into the back of the truck. He ordered Couch to approach him and he placed Couch in handcuffs.
When asked why he was taking the metal, Couch told the officer that he picks up scrap metal in the area and had just picked up a furnace from another location. When asked if he had permission to take the metal items, the officer said that Couch avoided the question.
The officer then got in touch with the owner of Basset and he learned that Couch did not have permission to be on the property or to take any of the items in or around the dumpster.
A Plainfield Town Court judge convicted Couch of theft and ordered him to pay a $186 fine and $50 pauper costs.
Couch has asked for a trial de novo in Hendricks Superior Court, which essentially serves as the appeal process for a ruling from a town court.
A bench trial is set for May 24.
Editor’s note: this story has been updated from its previous version to more accurately reflect the court process