INDIANAPOLIS — Court proceedings are in motion for the five IMPD officers charged in the department’s Flock camera scandal. 

The range of allegations include unauthorized searches of vehicles belonging to intimate partners, exes, and strangers using Flock Safety’s Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) technology. 

Officer Michael Rogers is due in court on Monday, Sept. 28, while Officers Matthew Binford, Abigail Cramer, and Cassandra Crawley are set for court appearances on Tuesday. 

All are separately charged with multiple counts of fraud and official misconduct. Cramer has resigned from IMPD. The others have been suspended and recommended for termination.

Officer Jonathan Schultz had his first court appearance on Friday, Sept. 25. He’s the only officer facing additional charges for stalking because authorities claim he not only tracked people’s vehicles but also acted on the Flock surveillance data to follow people and instigate unwanted, uncomfortable interactions. 

One victim Schultz is accused of stalking told investigators she started noticing him showing up at her gym, and in one instance Schultz followed her to the parking lot. 

“In the parking lot she got in her vehicle and noticed he was standing next to her vehicle staring at her,” prosecuting documents state. “She pulled off and waited for him to leave.” Schultz had searched Flock for her vehicle’s license plate twice that morning before she arrived at the gym.

Another woman said Schultz handed her a note outside of her gym, reading, “There’s always some type of crazy in our lives. We shouldn’t let it get in-between what we want in life. I would love to get to know you,” then listed his name and phone number. 

That woman was the subject of 178 Flock searches over a three-month span. 

Schultz walked into court with handcuffs wrapped around his wrists and ankles, wearing orange, jail-issued clothing. 

Prosecutors asked Magistrate Steven Rubick to set an enhanced bond in excess of what’s normal for his charges, saying accusations of stalking should raise concerns. 

Defense attorney John Keiffner argued the actions detailed in prosecuting documents aren’t the sort of violent or sexual behavior typically associated with stalking. Schultz was “trying to talk to women”, Keiffner said, and his methods could be described as “pathetic”. 

“Or creepy”, Judge Rubick quickly responded. 

Ultimately, Rubick set a $10,000 bond, twice the amount Schultz’ charges would typically garner. Schultz is also subject to GPS monitoring and signed a protective order for the 11 victims and two witnesses in his case. 

Rubick entered a routine not guilty plea on behalf of Schultz. His next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 28. 

• SEE ALSO: Indiana sees surge of cities, counties ending Flock camera contracts

After the hearing, Indiana’s I-Team asked Keiffner whether Schultz had anything to say to the victims or about the allegations. “In court,” Keiffner replied. “This case will be handled in court.”

IMPD Chief Tanya Terry said it’s too soon to tell if there were other officers abusing their access to the Flock Safety system after Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears described these five cases as “just the beginning”.

“I’m not sure what prosecutor Mears was thinking when he said that,” Terry said. 

IMPD is continuing to audit its Flock data and has implemented new policies and procedures to limit the chance for abuse. Flock Safety is now requiring all of its customers to use its proactive auditing tools. 

But a national privacy advocacy group, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (STOP), is doubtful these changes are meaningful safeguards. 

“The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department’s new guardrails are not enough to fix a system this invasive and ripe for abuse,” STOP Communications Director Will Owen told Indiana’s I-Team in a statement. “Furthermore, Flock’s own newly announced guardrails are nothing more than a crisis PR stunt, still granting officers plenty of power to misreport how they are using the database. Cities and towns across the country have fully canceled their contracts with Flock, and Indianapolis should follow suit.”

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Colts beat the Texans, 19-17.

Spencer Shrader make a 53-yard field goal with 16 seconds left to give the Colts the lead.

Next up for the Colts is a matchup against the Washington Commanders in London. Kickoff is scheduled for 9:30 a.m.

This story will be updated.

INDIANAPOLIS — A woman died Saturday night after being hit by a vehicle as she was walking through a gas station parking lot on the city’s near west side, according to police.

At 8:30 p.m., officers were dispatched to the 3300 block of West 16^th Street, a BP gas station off North Tibbs Avenue, on the report of a hit-and-run crash.

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department says that a vehicle was speeding southbound on North Tibbs Avenue when it struck another vehicle, causing it to lose control and drive through the gas station parking lot, where it struck a woman who was walking in the lot.

The woman died at the scene and the suspect who was speeding fled the scene.

Police say they are working to find the suspect. The driver who was hit by the speeding car and hit the woman stayed on scene and is cooperating with police; the driver was uninjured.

IMPD says they expect to find the suspect “pretty soon” based on the amount of cameras in the area.

This is a developing story.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The roof and window at Lucas Oil Stadium are both set to be open for the Colts Week 3 matchup against the Houston Texans on Sunday.

The Colts are 17-13 in games with the roof and window open at Lucas Oil Stadium.

The Colts (0-2) look to get their first win of the season on Sunday against the Texans (0-2). Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.

INDIANAPOLIS — Community members gathered to honor a young life Friday evening during a candlelight vigil for 8-year-old Miracle Bryan outside her former east Indianapolis home.

Her mother was arrested for the girl’s death.

Flowers, stuffed animals, candles and a banner made by classmates form a memorial where the girl lived on South Bancroft Street. Miracle was found dead Wednesday, and people who knew her say they want to ensure her spirit is not forgotten.

At the vigil, neighbors and friends lit candles and released balloons. Her brother, Maliki Mitchell, described his sister as an energetic and loving entertainer who often gave “words of wisdom” to adults.

“She was just energetic, fun, loving, caring,” Mitchell said. “You’d be a grown man or a grown woman, and she’d be able to give you some type of words of wisdom or advice. She was always jumping off the wall. She was very athletic, a great child, loved to sing. She was a big entertainer, just loved everybody. Whoever came through, you showed her some love, she’s gonna show you some love back, for sure. And even if you didn’t, she might still show you some love.”

Mitchell encouraged anyone to leave items at the home’s memorial, even if they did not know Miracle. He said he raised the girl himself — brushing her hair and holding her when she cried — and that losing a sibling feels like losing a part of himself.

“Honestly, the goal is to keep her alive as long as possible,” he said. “When you have a sibling, you come in the world together. To lose your sibling, it’s like losing a part of you. I raised that little girl. I brushed her hair. I gave her baths. I changed her diaper. I held her when she cried. Anytime she was sick, I was there. To see something like this happen and so sudden, I didn’t even get to say bye to her. It hurts more than you can imagine.”

What police learned

The gathering happened just days after Indianapolis police arrested the girl’s mother, 43-year-old Karrie Bryan. Officers arrived at the home, located southwest of Emerson Avenue and Brookville Road, at 7 a.m. Wednesday and found the child unconscious and not breathing. Emergency medical personnel determined she had died at 7:07 a.m. Wednesday.

While police initially arrested Karrie Bryan on a charge of neglect of a dependent, court documents filed Thursday show she now faces charges of possession of methamphetamine, dealing, neglect of a dependent, and obstruction of justice. No formal charged had been filed by Friday, online records show.

According to court documents outlining the police investigation, Detective Joshua Taylor of Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department interviewed the mother, who said she found her daughter at the end of the bed. Bryan told the detective she saw the child holding a can of dry shampoo and wondered if she had taken something.

Investigators reported finding a container with two glass vials of methamphetamine under a pillow in the bedroom. Bryan eventually told Taylor she moved the drugs to the room and placed them under the pillow before police arrived because she was afraid of her past legal history. She also admitted to using the drug the day before for “energy.”

The Marion County Coroner’s Office has not yet released the cause or manner of death.