HOWARD COUNTY — For the second time this year, Howard County prosecutors have dismissed murder charges against a man accused of killing Chad Rouse in 2006.
Prosecutors first dismissed charges against Kevin Maddox back in April, citing a staffing crisis at the Howard County Prosecutor’s Office.
Howard County then re-filed murder and robbery charges on May 27, 2025.
According to court documents, jury selection was completed on August 12, and the jury was sworn.
After reading the instructions to the jury, both the prosecution and defense made opening statements.
Following a brief recess, Howard County Prosecutor Mark McCann orally moved to dismiss all counts against Maddox.
Because the jury had already been sworn, double jeopardy is in effect, meaning Maddox can’t be tried again for the alleged crimes.
The charges were dismissed “with prejudice,” which means the state can’t refile the same charges against the defendant.
Howard County Prosecutor McCann released this statement regarding his decision to dismiss the charges:
WRTV Investigates is reaching out to attorneys for Maddox and the prosecution.
When WRTV Investigates spoke with Howard County Prosecutor Mark McCann in February, McCann said the office has 12 attorneys serving a population of more than 83,000.
“I always say bend but don't break, but it's almost at a breakage point,” said McCann in February. “I'm concerned about public safety."
The Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council (IPAC) says Howard County should have 23 attorneys to be adequately staffed for its workload.
Howard County has 4,000 criminal filings per year, and McCann says his full-time deputy prosecutors typically handle 300 criminal cases at a time.
Plus, because Howard County does not have a victim advocate, deputy prosecutors are tasked with talking to crime victims.
McCann said the attorney shortage creates a backlog of work, especially if they have staff out for weeks working on a jury trial.
“During that time, we are getting warrant requests to review case files,” said McCann. “Those are going to sit for another week or two.”
The lack of deputy prosecutors also impacts which crimes they can charge a suspect with.
“It does come into play in your charging decision,” said McCann.
House Bill 1006 aimed to address the state’s attorney shortage by creating a public prosecution fund, which would allow counties to get reimbursed up to 50% for salary and benefits paid to deputy prosecutors.
However, lawmakers removed funding from the bill.
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The measure would have cost the state approximately $19.5 million a year, beginning in 2026.
Starting in 2023, WRTV Investigates began digging into the state’s attorney shortage and its impact on the criminal justice system.
The median salary for a deputy prosecutor in Indiana is $87,000.
Howard County full-time deputy prosecutors make more than that— $110,890.
"I had to scratch and claw to get to that,” said McCann. “I’m proud of that in that it has retained lawyers. It saves costs on retraining.”
McCann says he is currently working with the Howard County council on adding more positions to his office.
You can see our coverage on the state’s attorney shortage HERE.
