GreeneStreets. Feature photo of a back country road in Greene County, Indiana.


Woman walking in a judge’s yard arrested for meth

A Worthington woman walking in the yard of a judge’s residence late at night has been arrested and charged with methamphetamine possession.

Susan Elaine Hart

Susan Elaine Hart

Susan Elaine Hart, 58, Worthington, was booked into the Greene County Jail at 2:05 p.m. yesterday, Tuesday, September 28, on a warrant that was issued Monday for her arrest.

The arrest is a result of an investigation by Deputy William C. Walker of the Greene County Sheriff’s Department into an incident that occurred on Saturday, September 18.

Around 10:30 that Saturday night, Greene County Dispatch got a call about a woman walking around a property saying she needed to talk to the woman who lived in the residence. The caller said the woman who was walking around was “out of it” and “twitching.”

Deputy Walker responded along with Deputy Marshal Wayman JR Blazier of the Bloomfield Police Department to the location which happened to be the residence of Greene Superior Judge Dena Martin.

Deputy Walker said when he arrived and located the woman, who was identified as Susan Hart, she was sitting in the driver’s seat of a brown 1983 Ford F-150.

Hart allegedly said she was there to talk to the woman who lived there because she needed to talk to her about a protective order that Hart’s mother had placed against her.

Officer Blazier then contacted dispatch to check on any protective orders and found out there were no protective orders involving Hart.

What happened next was detailed in a probable cause document prepared by Deputy Walker, who wrote, “Susan advised the protective order was around her ankles and was making her feet and legs tingle. While speaking to Susan, she continuously was scratching and smacking her legs as if something was crawling on her legs. When I asked Susan why she came to Judge Martin’s residence at 10:30 p.m., she advised she did not know she could not come to the judge’s house at this time.”

Deputy Walker told Hart that due to her behavior and statements, she was going to be transported to Greene County General Hospital for an immediate detention. Hart was taken into custody for transport. She asked twice about her purse, wanting to take the purse with her to the hospital.

As Officer Blazier was conducting an inventory of Hart’s vehicle, he located the purse, and reported it contained multiple knives and a small zip bag containing a white crystal substance that later field-tested positive as methamphetamine.

Hart was transported to the hospital, then yesterday, she was booked into jail on the warrant, and she was first held without bond pending court appearance.

After the prosecutor’s office filed a criminal case against Hart in Greene Superior Court last Thursday, Judge Martin recused herself from the case and Special Judge Darcie Fawcett of Monroe Circuit Court IX was appointed.

Earlier today, Wednesday, September 29, Hart appeared in Greene Superior Court for her initial hearing via two-way video connection between the jail and Judge Fawcett.

Hart was charged with possession of methamphetamine, a Level 6 felony.

A public defender was appointed to represent Hart and her bond was set at $4,000 surety with ten percent cash allowed. As of late Wednesday, she had not yet posted bond and was still in custody.