North, South Putnam students to hear Supreme Court case at OwenValley

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

The Indiana Supreme Court will travel to Owen County on Friday, April 20. The court will hold oral argument in a juvenile delinquency case at Owen Valley High School.

The argument is in the case of J.W. v. State of Indiana (33A04-1708-JV-1934).

Seventeen-year-old J.W. was arrested and charged with false informing when he gave a false name to police and emergency room personnel after a reported suicide attempt. J.W. pled guilty, and the Henry Circuit Court adjudicated J.W. a delinquent child and committed him to the Department of Correction.

The Court of Appeals dismissed J.W.’s appeal, holding in an unpublished decision that a juvenile cannot directly appeal his own guilty plea in a delinquency matter and should instead seek relief under Trial Rule 60.

J.W. has petitioned the Indiana Supreme Court to accept jurisdiction over the appeal.

The court holds about 70 oral arguments at the Statehouse in Indianapolis each year. Occasionally, it schedules arguments outside the capital to allow students, press, and public in other areas of the state an opportunity to see the work of the court.

Schools scheduled to attend the proceedings are North Putnam and South Putnam high schools, as well as Bloomfield, Clay City, Northview, Owen Valley, Shakamak and White River Valley.

The argument will begin st 9:30 a.m. at Owen Valley, 622 State Road 46, Spencer. The 40-minute argument will be webcast live and is open to schools, the public and press.

The argument will be webcast live by Owen Valley High School and uploaded to the court’s website.

Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Those interested in attending will be required to enter through Entrance 6 and go through security.

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