INDIANAPOLIS -- An IMPD officer accused of physically abusing his ex-girlfriend over a span of more than two years pleaded guilty on Monday to just one count of disorderly conduct.
John Constable, 45, was arrested in September 2016 on five felony counts of battery, intimidation and criminal confinement and one misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct following an investigation into allegations of domestic violence.
According to police, Constable had battered his ex-girlfriend on multiple occasions – at times in the presence of two children.
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Constable was also accused of intimidation and criminal confinement over allegations he threatened his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend.
Following his arrest, then-IMPD Chief Troy Riggs suspended Constable without pay and recommended him for termination.
On Monday, attorneys on behalf of Constable and the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office presented a plea arrangement in Constable’s case for a plea of guilty to the lowest count of disorderly conduct.
In exchange for his plea of guilty, prosecutors agreed to drop all of the felony charges against Constable and to ask for a sentence of time served. Constable served one day in jail following his arrest. He will serve the remainder of his sentence, 178 days, on non-reporting probation.
The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office said Tuesday that Constable and his former partner were determined to have been engaged in a “mutually combative domestic relationship.” Constable’s ex-girlfriend also faced charges in the case and was sentenced in March to 10 days in jail on a charge of criminal trespassing.
The prosecutor’s office said the case against Constable was confounded by multiple evidentiary problems, not the least of which was that all of the witnesses in the case recanted their original statements.
The prosecutor’s office also issued a statement Tuesday about the resolution of the case:
“Cases involving allegations of domestic violence are often complex for many reasons, including mutually combative scenarios, witness intimidation, and ongoing relationships between the victim and defendant. Each case is important to our office regardless of who the victim and defendant may be. Our deputy prosecutors and victim advocates work tirelessly to help victims of domestic violence remain safe and cooperative in the prosecution of their abusers. However, as with any criminal matter, prosecutors must work within the reality of what evidence is available.”
Per the terms of the plea agreement, Constable will be eligible to have the disorderly conduct charge expunged from his record following the completion of his probation.
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