Another court hearing has resulted in a further delay in the felony case against former Wabash County Sheriff’s Deputy Chase Cheadle.
Cheadle appeared in Wabash County Circuit Court on Thursday alongside defense attorney Jonathan Turpin. Special Prosecutor Brian Towne participated remotely via Zoom.
During the hearing, Turpin told Judge Denton Aud that he recently received additional information from the prosecution and plans to file a motion related to the newly provided material. He requested an additional 45 to 60 days before the next substantive hearing to allow time for the motion to be filed and for the State to respond.
Turpin commended Towne for his cooperation throughout the discovery process, telling the court the special prosecutor had been “exemplary” in providing information and assisting with informal discovery efforts.
Towne agreed with the request for additional time and raised no objection. He also asked that future non-evidentiary hearings continue to be conducted remotely when possible, noting he travels more than four hours to attend court proceedings in person.
Turpin indicated the upcoming motion will likely involve an allegation of evidence spoliation but said he does not expect factual disputes that would require witness testimony. Judge Aud agreed that remote appearances would be appropriate if the hearing involves only legal arguments.
Following discussion, the court scheduled a status hearing for August 13 at 9 a.m. The parties are expected to provide an update on the pending motion and discuss the next steps in the case.
The case has experienced multiple delays since charges were first filed. Cheadle 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 partner, Kiki, who was found unresponsive. Cheadle resigned from the Wabash County Sheriff’s Department the following month. The case remains pending.