INDIANAPOLIS – The disgraced former Center Township police officer, who was removed from her position in early October after pleading guilty to official misconduct, is overturning her conviction.
Denise Hatch filed a motion on October 21 asking the court to dismiss her previous plea, which resulted in her removal from elected office.
Hatch argued in the court filing that her plea “was not made knowingly and voluntarily,” and said she did not fully understand the implications of the agreement due to insufficient advice from her counsel. She further argued that the plea was made under duress to “resolve the matter quickly.”
The request comes less than a month after Hatch pleaded guilty to official misconduct and misdemeanor counts of unlawful carrying of a handgun and disorderly conduct. Under state law, her misdemeanor conviction required her automatic removal from office.
More: The judge and the officer disagreed. The officer then arrested two municipal employees.
Marion Superior Judge William Nelson sentenced her to time served, meaning she did not spend any additional time in prison.
A hearing to discuss Hatch’s request is scheduled for Nov. 12.
Hatch has been embroiled in legal troubles since February, when law enforcement investigators announced charges against her following a months-long investigation into the Center Township Constable’s Office. The constable is an elected position within all nine of Indianapolis’ township governments. They serve summonses, warrants, and summonses in small claims court.
In one case, Hatch was charged after police alleged she stole a bag of broccoli from Kroger in August 2023 after trying to exchange it with a rotting package.
In the second case, police said she tried to interfere with their firearms investigation involving one of her employees.
Her low-level misdemeanor conviction stemmed from an encounter with Indianapolis police in May while she was out on bail. Officers said they saw her driving through the city dressed in her officer uniform and with a Glock pistol in her waistband — a violation of her court order banning her from possessing firearms while her other criminal cases played out in court.
She was again booked into the Marion County Jail without bond and remained there for months until last August, when a judge lifted the warrant after Hatch successfully argued that she was no longer a flight risk and was willing to undergo house arrest and GPS monitoring while her things happened. in court.
Hatch ended up back behind bars on Oct. 2 after investigators alleged she disrupted a public meeting at the Julia Carson Government Center by going on a “tirade” about an order appointing special agents. An attendee at the meeting told police that Hatch complained about her previous time in jail and lifted her pant leg to show her detention ankle monitor.
Contact IndyStar reporter Sarah Nelson at sarah.nelson@indystar.com
This article originally appeared in the Indianapolis Star: Disgraced former Center Township cop files to end guilty plea
