Ex-West Lafayette police officer ordered to appear at his initial hearing on May 17

Ron Wilkins, Lafayette Journal & Courier
·1 min read
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LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Ex-West Lafayette police Officer Jake Forgey is ordered to appear at 8:30 a.m. May 17 in Tippecanoe Superior 4 for his initial hearing on charges of counterfeiting and official misconduct, according to an order signed Tuesday.

Forgey is accused of filling out a search warrant outside of a fraternity house on Nov. 16, then using that paper that was not signed by a judge to enter the house to look for people officers believed were smoking marijuana on the balcony, according to the probable cause affidavit.

Special Prosecutor Rodney Cummings filed charges against Forgey on Monday and requested an arrest warrant for Forgey, according to online court records.

Jake Forgey resigned from the West Lafayette Police Department on Feb. 20, 2024, after discrepancies were discovered between his reports and his body-worn video. Thirty-eight misdemeanor charges, 12 felony charges and one traffic citation were dismissed because of Forgey's involvement in those cases, according to documents provided by the Tippecanoe County Prosecutor's Office.

On Tuesday, Judge Matt Sandy signed an order for Forgey to appear for the May 17 initial hearing. There's nothing in the online court docket to indicate that Sandy signed the request for an arrest warrant.

Forgey's charges are Level 6 felonies, each carrying a possible prison sentence between six and 30 months, according to Indiana law.

At some point, Forgey will be required to report to the Tippecanoe County Jail to be fingerprinted and have a mugshot taken. Sandy has the authority to release Forgey on his own recognizance or require him to post a bond.

Forgey's behavior surfaced in February after police and prosecutors discovered that the now ex-police officer's written reports embellished what his body-worn video revealed.

Forgey was hired in June 2022 and resigned from the West Lafayette Police Department on Feb. 20, 2024.

Prosecutors have dismissed at least 51 cases against defendants because of Forgey's direct involved in the cases.

Reach Ron Wilkins at rwilkins@jconline.com. Follow on Twitter: @RonWilkins2

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Ex-West Lafayette police officer ordered to appear at initial hearing