The trial of an Evansville school board member and former restauranteur was scheduled to start Wednesday after she reportedly turned down a plea deal. WNIN’s John Gibson has more:
Amy Word’s defense attorney, Bob Canada, told the Courier & Press that prosecutors offered Word a deal that could have let her walk away from the felony charge against her – and any lesser charges – but she rejected it.
The Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office formally charged the 48-year-old Word with Maintaining a Common Nuisance, when police alleged she knew about drug use and drug dealing at the establishment she ran, Lamasco Bar & Grill.
Word pleaded not guilty after her arrest in July 2022, and has maintained her innocence.
Lamasco has since opened under a new owner, Charles Mereday.
Word is not seeking reelection to the school board.
Her trial has been moved to Sullivan, Indiana because of pre-trial publicity in the Evansville area.