Special prosecutor on the clock, again, for gun incident at 2025 demonstration
Judge sets a hearing date after no update in ‘Hands Off’ rally incident outside courthouse. Plus, ruling puts Purdue student IDs back in play in May primary. And crew set for Purdue 1 research mission
Support for Based in Lafayette comes from Purdue Convocations, presenting “Menopause The Musical 2: Cruising Through ‘The Change’” on Saturday, April 25. Reuniting four unforgettable friends on a cruise ship adventure, the show celebrates friendship while tackling hot flashes, mood swings, memory lapses and more — set to a soundtrack of clever parodies of hits from the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s. Catch the laughter and heart in both a MATINEE and EVENING performance!
Thanks, also, to Stuart & Branigin for continued support of the Based in Lafayette reporting project.
A few notes on a Thursday night …
JUDGE SETS HEARING TO GET UPDATE FROM SPECIAL PROSECUTOR ON GUN CASE AT ‘HANDS OFF’ RALLY
A Tippecanoe County judge this week set a May 1 hearing to get an update from a special prosecutor assigned to review whether charges should be filed in a gun-related confrontation during an April 2025 “Hands Off” demonstration outside the Tippecanoe County Courthouse.
The move comes after Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter, assigned as special prosecutor in the case just shy of a year ago, missed a second deadline to offer an update on the status of the investigation. Tippecanoe Circuit Court Judge Sean Persin wrote in an order issued Monday that the May 1 could be canceled if Carter offers an update before that. Persin also wrote that the hearing could determine whether a new special prosecutor should be appointed.
The case caused a stir when it happened April 5, 2025, near the corner of Third and Columbia streets. No charges were filed at the time against James Jordan, a 43-year-old Lafayette man who challenged participants at the progressive demonstration, or against a Lafayette man who head-butted him in a confrontation leading up to Jordan retrieving a gun from his truck left in traffic. After briefly detaining Jordan at the scene and releasing him, determining that it had been an act of self-defense – a move that drew the ire of those who were at the rally – Lafayette police kept the investigation open, collecting dozens of video submissions from demonstrators and others. The Tippecanoe County prosecutor asked for a special prosecutor two weeks after the incident, and Lafayette turned over evidence in summer 2025.
On Dec. 15, a deputy prosecutor in Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter’s office wrote to the court that the special prosecutor was in the process of reviewing “voluminous materials in order to properly investigate … for charging consideration.” The office wrote that day that the Lake County prosecutor expected to finish within 90 days. Tippecanoe Circuit Judge Sean Persin in December had asked Carter to file a progress report by April 6 “if the investigation is still ongoing at that time.”
Here’s more on what happened in April 2025:
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PURDUE STUDENT IDs BACK IN PLAY FOR VOTING AFTER FEDERAL JUDGE’S RULING
A federal judge’s ruling this week that blocked a new Indiana law meant to bar student IDs from state university from being used as voter IDs at the polls will put Purdue student IDs back in play, Tippecanoe County election officials say.
U.S. District Court Judge Richard Young granted a preliminary injunction sought by Count US IN and others who filed the lawsuit after that state law on student IDs was approved by the General Assembly earlier this year, arguing that the law “imposes unconstitutional burdens on students and young voters.”
County election officials said this week the poll workers staffing early voting sites were instructed to take Purdue and other state university student IDs as valid identification Tuesday, after the ruling came out. Voting started April 7 ahead of the May 5 primary.
Before the new law, students had been able to use student IDs to meet Indiana’s voter ID law, as long as they included the voter’s name, photo and a valid expiration date.
Purdue has been phasing out physical student IDs in recent academic years, moving to a digital, mobile ID. The university has issued “vote-ready’ IDs for any student who requests one and is registered to vote in Tippecanoe County. Purdue officials said Thursday that those are available from the Office of the Bursar in Room 194 in Stewart Center Room 194. Purdue said there is no cost.
Here’s more on the ruling this week, via Indiana Capital Chronicle reporter Tom Davies: “Federal judge blocks Indiana’s ban on use of student IDs for voting.”
Speaking of polling places, voters topped the 1,000 mark Thursday since voting started April 7, according to the county election office figures. That compares with 788 who voted in person at this point during the most recent midterm election in 2022.
Early voting continues this week, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. weekdays at the Tippecanoe County Office Building, 20 N. Third St. in Lafayette.
For more about the candidates: Here’s a compilation of Q&As with candidates in most contested races on Tippecanoe County ballots, along with ways to see who is on your ballot, the full list of early voting sites and more …
PURDUE ASTRONAUT, ALUM ROUND OUT CREW FOR ALL-BOILERMAKER MISSION IN 2027
Purdue this week rounded out the crew for Purdue 1, a Virgin Galactic suborbital flight coming in 2027 with an all-Boilermaker crew.
Beth Moses, a Purdue grad and already a member of Purdue’s “Cradle of Astronauts” with six suborbital space flights since 2019, and Florence Stahura, a 1992 graduate in chemistry, were announced Wednesday as the fourth and fifth members of the crew in the research mission.
Purdue 1, announced in September 2025, will include passengers Steven Collicott, a Purdue aerospace engineering professor, and graduate student Abby Mizzi, who will use the flight for research into how liquids react in zero gravity. Purdue grad Jason Williamson, a senior vice president for design for Texas-based Dunaway, also will be part of the flight.
Purdue’s pitch to Virgin Galactic to secure seats for suborbital flights evolved out of Collicott being selected in 2021 to NASA’s Flight Opportunities program. That included NASA funding to accompany an experiment into zero gravity on a future Virgin Galactic flight. Purdue was fundraising to Mizzi onto the flight. The alumni crew members were expected to pay their way.
“The fact that it’s Purdue one, and Purdue has been such a big part of my life, my family life, that makes it very, very special,” Stahura said during Wednesday’s announcement. The retired research scientist said she’d met her husband at Purdue and that their three children graduated from Purdue, too.
The flight will carry real-time, human-tended experiments by Collicott and Mizzi, along with two autonomous research experiments. Moses will be part of another Purdue-designed experiment, wearing a flight suit equipped with biosensors.
“I’ve not flown as a researcher before,” Moses said. “I will say everyone is due for an amazing experience. I think we will all have various jobs to do, but also hopefully all – maybe all of us – get a chance to look out the window.”
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Thanks, also, for support from Purdue Convocations, presenting “Menopause The Musical 2: Cruising Through ‘The Change’” on Saturday, April 25.
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Great news about being able to use student IDs for voting. Although it’s mentioned, it’s important to emphasize that the student still needs to be registered before they can show up with their ID to vote. There seems to be some confusion in the public about that; some do not understand that the student still needs to meet all of the requirements (including citizenship) to register.
It would be nice to see Purdue trying to get graduate students into the country, not just one off the planet.