Billy Luke Back In Dearborn County Court

By Mike Perleberg Billy Luke. Photo by Dearborn County Sheriff's Department. (Dearborn County, Ind.) - A Dearborn County convict who has already served time for making violent threats could soon receive even more time behind bars. Billy Luke has developed a reputation among Dearborn County law enforcement for his antics dating back to 2012 when he was convicted of flashing employees at a business next to the Dillsboro home where he lived with his grandmother. Following that conviction, he picked up new charges after making threats toward those victims and the Dillsboro Police Department. He was again convicted and sentenced to 4 ½ years in prison in 2013. His sentenced had originally been four years longer, but he successfully appealed to have a Stalking (class C felony) charge erased in 2016. Now 32, Luke recently completed the prison portion of that sentence. The Indiana Department of Corrections lists his projected release date as December 19, 2017. But before he could become a free man, Luke was brought back to Dearborn County’s jail for charges he has yet to answer to. Luke was charged in October of 2016 for writing a letter from prison in which he allegedly made threats against a Dearborn County judge, Dillsboro Police, and his own defense attorney. Luke was in Dearborn Superior Court II on Friday, December 15 for an initial hearing on those pending charges, which include a single count of Intimidation (level 5 felony) and two counts of Intimidation (level 6 felony). He pleaded not guilty. He is held on a $350,000 surety bond and $5,000 cash bond. Judge James D. Humphrey, who has been appointed as a special judge to the case, has ordered that Luke not have contact with his former defense attorney, Dearborn Superior Court II Judge Sally McLaughlin, and Dillsboro Chief of Police Ryan Brandt. He is also to not possess any firearms if released from jail. Luke remains in jail at the Dearborn County Law Enforcement Center until his jury trial which is scheduled for February 5, 2018. The trial was scheduled after Luke’s request for a fast and speedy trial. A level 5 felony carries a sentence of one year up to six years if convicted. A level 6 felony could bring a sentence of up to 2 ½ years. RELATED STORIES: Threatening Letter To Lawyer Brings New Charges Against Billy Luke Court Of Appeals Tosses Part Of Luke’s Conviction; Tormentor Could Get Out Sooner