Another court hearing has resulted in another delay in the felony case against former Wabash County Sheriff's Deputy Chase Cheadle.
Cheadle appeared in Wabash County Circuit Court Thursday with defense attorney Jonathan Turpin. Special Prosecutor Brian Towne participated in the hearing by Zoom.
Turpin told Judge Denton Aud he had recently received additional information from the prosecution and expects to file a motion related to that material. He said the State would need time to respond and requested another 45 to 60 days before the next substantive hearing.
Turpin praised Towne for his cooperation during the discovery process, telling the court the two have been working through informal discovery and that the special prosecutor has been "exemplary" in providing information.
Towne agreed with Turpin's assessment of the case and said he had no objection to the additional time. Because he travels more than four hours to appear in court, Towne also asked that future non-evidentiary hearings continue to be conducted by Zoom whenever possible.
Turpin indicated the motion he plans to file will likely involve an allegation of evidence spoliation, but said he does not anticipate any factual disputes requiring witness testimony. Judge Aud agreed that if the hearing involves only legal arguments, appearing remotely would be appropriate.
Following discussion, the court scheduled a status hearing for August 13th at 9 a.m., when the parties will update the court on the pending motion and determine the next steps in the case.
Cheadle's case has been repeatedly delayed since charges were first filed. The former sheriff's deputy and K-9 handler originally faced eight charges, including official misconduct, theft, cruelty to animals and animal owner duties. Two felony counts were later dismissed at the request of the special prosecutor.
The charges stem from the July 2024 death of Cheadle's police K-9, Kiki, who was found unresponsive. Cheadle resigned from the Wabash County Sheriff's Department the following month. The case remains pending.