#11 The Missing Pieces: The Corruption of Sheriff Jamey Noel - Unveiling a Scandal of Deceit and Betrayal in Clark County, Indiana

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What happens when a trusted sheriff becomes the villain of the story? In this gripping episode of the Missing Pieces podcast, we uncover the shocking tale of Jamey Noel, the former sheriff of Clark County, Indiana and 60 Days In star, who exploited his position for personal gain. Over $3 million intended for New Chapel EMS, a vital community service, was siphoned off to fund a lavish lifestyle for Noel and his family. Discover the web of deceit that entangled his daughter, Casey, and the looming charges against his wife, Misty. As the layers of corruption are peeled back, the mystery deepens with the discovery of 26 military surplus containers hidden on Noel's property, raising questions about what secrets they hold.

We navigate through the complex investigation that brought this scandal to light, exploring the intricate details of financial misconduct, tax evasion, and fraudulent schemes. Follow the consequences that Noel and his family faced, including his 15-year prison sentence and the state's efforts to recover the stolen funds through asset seizures and auctions. This episode provides a compelling look at the breach of trust and the relentless pursuit of justice by authorities to reclaim what was lost. Tune in to understand the full scope of this astonishing downfall and the ongoing quest for answers in Clark County.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Missing Pieces podcast, where we
dive into stories of peoplepower and corruption that shake
communities to their core.
These are the stories thatleave behind more questions than
answers, the ones that exposesecrets, unravel legacies and
make us question how well wereally know the people in power.

(00:21):
Each week, we explore thesecases, piecing together the
details, following theinvestigations and asking the
difficult questions, becausesomewhere in the silence, in the
unknown, the missing pieces arestill out there waiting to be
found.
Clark County, indiana, a placewhere the local sheriff's badge

(00:42):
once represented trust, securityand service.
But what happens when the veryman entrusted with upholding the
law is the one breaking it?
What happens when the personsworn to protect the public is
secretly siphoning millions,living a life of luxury while
taxpayers unknowingly foot thebill?
For years, jamie Noel was a namesynonymous with authority.

(01:03):
He wasn't just the sheriff.
He was a community leader, thehead of the Clark County
Sheriff's Department and thepresident of New Chapel EMS, a
non-profit ambulance service.
To the outside world, he was adedicated public servant, but
behind closed doors, somethingelse was happening.
In October 2024, everythingunraveled.

(01:26):
The former sheriff of ClarkCounty pleaded guilty to a
shocking list of felony chargescorrupt business influence,
theft, obstruction of justice,official misconduct, tax evasion
and money laundering.
But how did a respected lawenforcement officer fall this
far and how deep did thecorruption go?
To understand how we got here,we have to go back Back to the

(01:50):
beginning of Jamie Knoll's riseto power.
For decades, knoll had beendeeply embedded in Clark
County's law enforcementcommunity.
He worked his way up gainingthe trust of the public and
fellow officers.
By the time he was electedsheriff, he had cemented himself
as a leader, someone who, onthe surface, seemed committed to
the well-being of the county.

(02:10):
But beneath the polishedexterior, he had control over
more than just the sheriff'sdepartment.
One of the most significantpieces of this story is New
Chapel EMS, a non-profitambulance service that Kno Noel
had been running for nearly 20years.
It was supposed to be alifeline for the community,
ensuring fast and efficientemergency medical services.

(02:32):
Instead, it became a personalpiggy bank for Noel and his
family.
Investigators discovered thatmillions of dollars were being
funneled out of New Chapel EMSand into Noel's personal
accounts.
What was that money used for?
Vacations, extravagant onlineshopping sprees, luxury goods,
even tuition payments.
The same man who had built hisreputation on protecting the

(02:55):
public had been stealing fromthem all along.
But he wasn't alone.
His daughter, casey Noel, wasnext to fall.
She pleaded guilty to multiplecounts of theft and tax evasion.
Court documents revealed thatshe had spent over $100,000 of
New Chapel EMS funds on personalpurchases expensive shopping

(03:15):
sprees, high-end items, allfunded by money meant for
emergency medical services.
And not only that, she didn'treport any of it on her taxes.
When investigators dug deeper,they found more.
Jamie Knoll's wife, misty, hadalso been involved.
She was charged with theft andtax evasion, accused of misusing

(03:35):
more than $660,000.
The whole family was entangledin a web of financial fraud
covering up years of stolenfunds.
By the time authorities puttogether the full scope of what
had happened, the numbers werestaggering.
More than $3 million had beenmisappropriated.
Millions meant for the peopleof Clark County gone.

(03:56):
And the punishment?
Jamie Knoll was sentenced to 15years in prison, with a likely
incarceration period of about adecade.
His daughter, casey, got fiveyears, with nine months behind
bars and the remainder suspendedto probation.
And Misty, her trial is stillpending.
But there's something else aboutthis case that makes it even

(04:18):
more disturbing.
When investigators raidedNoel's property, they discovered
something that raised even morequestions.
Tucked away in storage were 26military surplus containers,
large heavy-duty storage units,the kind you don't just
accidentally collect.
What was in them?
Where did they come from?
And, more importantly, why didthe sheriff of Clark County have

(04:42):
them?
Authorities seized them as partof their investigation, adding
another layer of mystery to thecase.
To recover some of the stolenfunds, the state began
auctioning off Noel's assets.
His personal property wasseized, his bank accounts frozen
and his luxurious lifestyledismantled.
Among the items sold wereclassic cars, valuable equipment

(05:05):
and items from his extensivecollection of military surplus
gear.
This case is more than just astory of corruption.
It's a betrayal, one that shookan entire community.
How does a man rise to suchpower only to fall so
spectacularly?
How does a family that oncethrived on the trust of the
public end up in prison?
And, the biggest question ofall, how many people knew?

(05:28):
Because, let's be honest,something of this scale doesn't
happen overnight.
A scheme involving millions ofdollars, spanning decades
doesn't go unnoticed.
So who else was complicit?
Who else looked the other wayand who might still be covering
up their involvement?
The downfall of Jamie Nowell isa cautionary tale about
unchecked power and theconsequences of greed, but it's

(05:52):
also a reminder that even thosewho seem untouchable can be
brought down.
It took years for investigatorsto uncover the full extent of
what happened, but in the endjustice prevailed.
But there's somethingunsettling about cases like this
.
Even when the guilty aresentenced, when the money is
recovered, when the truth isfinally exposed, it never feels

(06:14):
like enough.
The damage is already done.
Trust is broken, and for thepeople of Clark County, the
scars left behind by thisbetrayal won't fade any time
soon.
So what happens next?
Will there be more arrests,more revelations, or is this
just the beginning of uncoveringan even larger scheme?
One thing is for sure thisstory isn't over yet, because

(06:39):
somewhere out there, in thesilence of lost trust and stolen
money, the missing pieces ofthis case are still waiting to
be found.