LAFAYETTE, IN — Tippecanoe Superior 2 Judge Steve Meyer returned to work Monday, his first day on the bench in nearly six months.
Meyer and his wife, Kim, were shot Jan. 18 at their south-side home in what prosecutors described as a gang hit so a gang member, Thomas Moss, could avoid his Jan. 20 trial.
Meyer has been off work since then.
Four people — Moss, Nevaeh Bell, Raylen Ferguson and Blake Smith — face several charges, including three counts of attempted murder and three counts of conspiracy to commit murder. The third charge stems from allegations that the four conspired and attempted to kill a woman in Pennsylvania who is the victim in Moss’ 2024 gun, intimidation and domestic battery charges for which he was to stand trial on Jan. 20.
Meyer said in a prepared statement released by the Indiana Supreme Court that he will not comment on the shooting incident because charges are pending against the four defendants.
“I am happy to be back on the bench to continue the work I was elected to do for the people of Tippecanoe County,” Meyer said. “I am grateful to Senior Judge Potter who managed my docket in recent months, my staff for their professionalism, and my fellow Tippecanoe County judges and the local attorneys who all filled roles to make sure court operations were not interrupted.
“It is important for me to express, as I did in January, that this incident has not deterred me or shaken my trust in the judicial system,” Meyer said.
Moss and Smith are scheduled for trial in September. Ferguson, the suspected gunman, is scheduled for trial at the end of August. If that trial date is not feasible because of trial prep, then his trial will be in late November.
Bell also is scheduled for trial in November.
Moss’ charges from 2024 are scheduled for trial in July.
Special Judge Lisa Swaim was appointed to preside over all four defendants’ trials, including Moss’ trial on the 2024 charges.
Reach Ron Wilkins at rwilkins@jconline.com. Follow on Twitter: @RonWilkins2.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Judge Meyer returns to bench, says ‘this incident has not deterred me’
Reporting by Ron Wilkins, Lafayette Journal & Courier / Lafayette Journal & Courier
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