By Caitlin VanOverberghe and Rorye Hatcher | Daily Reporter
[email protected]
GREENFIELD — It didn’t take long for tensions to get high.
The three Republican candidate vying for their party’s nomination for Hancock County prosecutor took aim at one another during an hour-long debate at the Hancock County Public Library in Greenfield.
The race pits incumbent Brent Eaton against Greenfield defense attorney Bob Elsea and Madison County deputy prosecutor Grey Chandler, who lives in McCordsville.
No Democrats filed to run in the primary.
Elsea and Chandler waited little time to criticize Eaton’s administration, and Eaton fired back at each in turn.
While explaining their top goals for their time in office, Elsea and Chandler criticized the current prosecutor’s office for its handling of certain cases and its relationship with local law enforcement.
But Eaton told the crowd he is proud of his time in office, repeating a line he’s used regularly along the campaign trail: that he and his team have prosecuted more rapists and killers in the past four years than any other prosecutor’s office in recent memory.
Chandler, who has touted his career as a prosecutor, said he’ll bring stricter prosecution for sex offenses and drug dealers if elected. He criticized the current administration, saying charges filed against sexual predators are too regularly dismissed, dropped or pleaded down to a lesser charge.
Drug dealers, as well, are too regularly being given lenient sentences; dealers need to be sent to prison for lengthy amounts of time, he added.
Elsea, who served as a deputy in the prosecutor’s office between 1986 and 2002, said, if elected, his first priority will be to restore the relationships between the prosecutor’s office and local police, saying that frustration among local law enforcement is high.
“There needs to be more of a team spirit,” Elsea said.
“You have to be able to bring people together,” he added later. “Unfortunately, that’s not his (Eaton’s) strong suit.”
Eaton shot back at his opponents.
Chandler was a Hancock County deputy prosecutor during former prosecutor Michael Griffin’s administration; and in that time, there wasn’t a single rape case filed locally, Eaton said. He then told the crowd his team took the first rape case in 10 years to trial last year, earning a conviction and a 27-year prison sentence for the defendant.
He then took a dig at Elsea’s personal financial situation — Elsea has openly discussed that he owes tens of thousands of dollars in federal taxes — which drew boos from the audience.
Over the course of the evening’s discussion, the candidates discussed how the prosecutor’s office can help combat the opioid epidemic; the use of search warrants to obtain blood samples in cases of alleged drunken driving; and whether the county would ever create a witness protection program.
There was only one topic on which all three candidates completely agreed — the use of body cameras by police.
Each admitted he wishes more local police departments had the means to equip their officers with body cameras, because the devices produce great evidence to be used in court. It makes everyone’s jobs easier, they said, from the officers investigating a case to the attorneys arguing the same case before a jury.
To conclude the debate, the candidates were given a chance to make their final pitch to the audience, and in the end, they shook hands.
“We all think we’re the best one for the job,” Elsea said.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Past debates online now” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Miss the debates?
Debates between the Republican candidates for Hancock County Commissioner, Hancock County Sheriff and Hancock Circuit Court Judge can now be viewed online at the following links:
Sheriff debate: youtu.be/4JbyFnvt30M
Commissioner debate: youtu.be/zV8TXdfRvhs
Circuit Court judge debate: youtu.be/xRMcZX0um3k
[sc:pullout-text-end]
