Former Indiana sheriff charged with tax evasion asks to change his plea

He is facing up to two and half years behind bars

Kenneth Hughbanks, the former Scott County sheriff charged with felony tax evasion in connection with the Jamey Noel corruption case, has submitted paperwork to change his plea. 

Hughbanks pleaded not guilty to tax evasion in April. The request for a change of plea and sentencing hearing was filed on Oct. 1. 

Noel, a former Clark County sheriff and leader of Utica Township fire department, was found guilty of taking millions from the departments to fund a lavish lifestyle. He was sentenced in Oct. 2024 to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to 27 felonies. Charges included theft, obstruction of justice, tax evasion, money laundering, corrupt business influence and official misconduct.

Hughbanks once worked at the Clark County Jail, and was appointed Scott County Sheriff in April 2018. Investigators said that appointment was tied to his connection to Noel. Following his tenure as sheriff, Noel rehired Hughbanks to serve as the Clark County Sheriff's Operations Corrections Commander. He resigned from that role in 2019, but stayed on as a paid consultant.

An investigation by Indiana State Police, the Indiana State Board of Accounts and the Indiana Department of Revenue found that Hughbank's consultant fees were paid out of the Clark County Sheriff's Office Commissary Fund by  Noel.  

A review of the commissary fund payments found Hughbanks and his related businesses were paid $280,067 from March 2015 to Oct. 2022, according to the affidavit. The document said an administrative assistant gave a  statement that she tried to give Hughbanks a 1099 form to pay taxes, but he refused to accept it. After notifying Noel, the assistant said the former sheriff told her not to provide Hughbanks with the tax documents. 

Investigators subsequently determined that Hughbanks and his wife did not report more than $214,000 of income on their state tax returns. 

He has been asked to return the missing money to the Clark County Sheriff's Department Jail Commissary Fund.

Indiana State Police arrested Hughbanks at his home in April 2025. 

He has a pre-trial hearing set for Dec. 18, and a jury trial is scheduled for Jan. 12, according to online records.