A year after his prison sentence, former Clark County Sheriff Jamey Noel’s belongings have sold for millions toward the $3.1 million in criminal restitution he owes.
The funds — now sitting in court-controlled escrow accounts — have come from sweeping liquidations of Noel’s properties, classic cars, firearms and various luxury items.
But civil judgements against Noel are rolling in, too. In October, he was ordered to pay back more than $900,000 — plus interest — to reimburse the county jail’s commissary fund. Another $122,000 was awarded earlier this month to resolve Noel’s mismanagement of his brother’s estate. Numerous other civil cases are still pending and could result in other restitution mandates.
Noel pleaded guilty in 2024 to 27 felony charges — including corrupt business influence, theft, tax evasion and official misconduct — and was ordered to repay millions to New Chapel EMS, Indiana tax officials and state and local law enforcement agencies.
He’s currently serving his 15-year sentence at the New Castle Correctional Annex. Three of those years will be suspended to probation, and he could be released earlier with good behavior and programming credits.
Findings from a lengthy Indiana State Police investigation found that Noel used millions of taxpayer dollars from the Utica Volunteer Firefighters Association and New Chapel EMS to buy cars, planes, vacations, clothing and other personal luxury purchases. Investigators said public funds were also used to pay for college tuition and child support.
The disgraced former sheriff was additionally accused of tasking county employees with jobs related to his personal collection of classic cars. At least 40 vehicles were confiscated by law enforcement, including a bevy of classics, such as two 1970 Plymouth Superbirds, a 1959 Corvette and 1966 and 1968 Chargers, according to search warrant returns.
More than $2.7 million has been raised so far through a series of auctions and forced property sales overseen by the Clark and Washington county courts, with most of the proceeds held until a special judge determines how to divide the funds among criminal-restitution recipients and claimants in ongoing civil litigation.
Not all of that money is available for restitution due to outstanding mortgages, auction fees and other obligations.
Escrow accounts now exceed $1.2 million
Two escrow accounts maintained in Washington County hold the bulk of restitution dollars. As of Nov. 20, balances reached $1,171,415.10 in one account and $74,380.97 in another. Those accounts contain auction proceeds and other property-sale revenue tied to Noel’s criminal case.
Clark County also holds escrow funds from multiple pre-judgment property sales — including two Jeffersonville-area homes sold earlier this year.
Any funds deposited after liens, mortgages, taxes and fees will eventually be distributed once the Indiana Attorney General’s civil lawsuit — alleging years of financial misconduct surrounding New Chapel EMS, a nonprofit ambulance service that contracted with Clark and Floyd counties — is resolved.
Court records show judges have so far only authorized limited withdrawals from escrow to cover essential expenses on Noel’s remaining unsold property, the home at 3001 Old Tay Bridge Road in Jeffersonville. In July, Special Judge Roger Duvall approved the release of $2,000 to Lopp Realtors to maintain the property. In November, the judge approved another $1,000 for the same purpose.
Nearly all of Noel’s Indiana real estate has already been liquidated.
A Utica-area property sold for $800,000 in January. Included in the sale were adjacent properties on Old Salem Road in Jeffersonville — a pole barn used to store dozens of vehicles and a log-cabin-style home where family members lived.
In March, Noel’s 7,982-square-foot Jeffersonville mansion sold for $635,000, less than the $699,000 the Noels paid in 2022.
Still unresolved, however, is the Old Tay Bridge Road home, which is the subject of a foreclosure case filed in October by MSR Asset Vehicle LLC. The property carries tax debt and a significant mortgage — more than $261,000 still owed, according to court documents.
Separately, Noel’s Naples, Florida, residence is under contract for roughly $570,000, though that property also has an outstanding mortgage. Once it closes, its net proceeds are expected to be added to the escrow holdings.
Car auctions generated more than $1.27 million
But the biggest single boost to Noel’s restitution came from the sale of 43 classic cars, which brought in $1,277,950 during a two-day auction in May. The auction took place in French Lick as part of Freije & Freije Auctioneers’ annual “Big Boy Toy Auction,” but the proceeds were supervised by Washington County’s special judge appointed in the Noel case.
Among the highest-value sales were a 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon that sold for $160,000, two 1970 Plymouth Roadrunner Superbirds that fetched $162,500 and $175,000, and a 1969 Plymouth Roadrunner that brought $100,000.
Court documents describe how Noel used $52,504 from his brother’s estate to buy the Roadrunner, then reimbursed the estate by withdrawing nearly the same amount from New Chapel EMS the following month.
Vehicles seized from Noel’s pole barn — including a 1959 Chevy Corvette, a 1968 Dodge Charger and several restored muscle cars — rounded out the nearly $1.3 million total.
Earlier, in January, Freije & Freije auctioned off more than 150 of Noel’s firearms, dozens of custom suits and several Rolex watches.
Many of the suits — some lined with sheriff’s emblems or embroidered with Noel’s name — sold for around $200 despite initial prices in the thousands. Auction officials said all items moved in less than two hours.
A later online auction in March brought in $72,425. More than 100 people previewed the items in person, and 404 bidders competed for nearly 300 lots, which included a heavy-duty tool chest that sold for $3,250, as well as sheriff’s plaques, furniture and personal items from Noel’s pole barn.
Court approves separate payouts
The escrow accounts are also being tapped to resolve civil cases lodged by Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, which seek to force Noel to pay back the state agencies he allegedly took public funds from to pay for personal spending.
In one lawsuit, Rokita argued that Noel should be required to reimburse the Clark County jail commissary fund more than $900,000 for “funds misappropriated, diverted, or misapplied,” which were cited in an audit report filed by the State Board of Accounts last year.
Duvall ordered last month that Noel must pay a sum of $918,000 as punitive damages, in addition to $122,500 in interest. The judge’s order noted that additional annual statutory interest of 8% will be applied until the judgment is fully satisfied, meaning the total balance owed could top nearly $1.5 million by the time Noel is expected to be released from prison in June 2033.
The amount is in addition to the more than $3 million Noel agreed to pay as part of his criminal case.
The judge also ordered payout in a separate civil matter filed by Noel’s three nieces and nephew, who alleged that he mishandled their father’s estate funds after being appointed executor.
On Nov. 6, Duvall approved a $122,000 mediated settlement — including damages and attorney fees — and authorized the money to be released from escrow.
In the ruling, Duvall wrote that the children “join a long list of persons and entities that have been damaged by the unlawful acts of Jamey Noel and family members.”
He emphasized that the money originated from the sale of estate property and that paying the children did not come at the expense of victims connected to the New Chapel EMS scheme.
Noel agreed to a plea deal nearly a year after he was arrested and state police investigators raided his home in southern Indiana.
His agreement requires him to pay back $2,870,924 in public funds to the Utica Volunteer Firefighters Association, which did business as New Chapel EMS; $61,190 to the Clark County Sheriff’s Department; $173,155 to the Indiana Department of Revenue; and $35,245 to the Indiana State Police.
Court documents further point to at least $33,000 worth of public funds used by Noel to make contributions to various Republican candidates and campaigns between 2020 and 2023. Some of the candidates and campaignshave since been returned or donated those dollars elsewhere.
It’s up to the court to decide how restitution payments should be prioritized and how to reconcile claims across Noel’s multiple criminal and civil dockets.
Until then, court officials said all remaining escrowed funds will remain frozen except for court-approved costs and payouts.
Indiana Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Indiana Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Niki Kelly for questions: info@indianacapitalchronicle.com.
