Departing Prosecutor Negangard: "It Has Been An Honor"

By Mike Perleberg (Lawrenceburg, Ind.) - Monday marks the start of a new era at the Dearborn County Courthouse. Aaron Negangard officially resigned as the prosecutor of Dearborn and Ohio counties on Friday. The Republican is set to be sworn in Monday as the new chief deputy at the Indiana Attorney General’s Office. New Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill will be sworn in Monday during ceremonies at the Indiana Statehouse. Negangard had been prosecutor here since 2006.   While he plans to continue living in Dearborn County, Negangard posted a farewell message of sorts on his Facebook page early Monday morning. In an interview with Eagle Country 99.3 in November, Negangard said he and Hill had been working together on criminal justice reform issues at the state level together in recent years. “I’m excited to work for him. Together we’ll be able to do great things for the state and develop programs that can serve as a model nationwide,” said Negangard. Negangard should go down as a memorable county prosecutor - for better or worse, depending on who you ask. While he was a fierce defender of laws and led efforts to help families prevent drug abuse, he also took on some criticism for some prosecutions and a 2016 article by The New York Times focusing on Dearborn County's high rate of imprisonment. In the courtroom, Negangard used a ruthless approach in prosecutions and portrayals of burglars or killers, but proved to be a strong advocate for crime victims. Last month, a Republican caucus selected deputy prosecutor Lynn Deddens to be the new prosecuting attorney for Dearborn and Ohio counties. Monday will be her first day leading the prosecutor's office. RELATED STORIES: Republicans Pick Deddens As New Dearborn-Ohio Prosecutor Negangard To Become Second-In-Command At Ind. Attorney General’s Office